Quinton's gaze travelled over Seraphina's body meaningfully, and he replied, "I heard you're Stefan's girlfriend now. Are you two getting married soon?" "Yes, Stefan and I are childhood sweethearts, and we have similar backgrounds, so it's only a matter of time before we get married. If you don't want to offend both the Hunts and the Murphys, let him go!" Seraphina said defiantly.Quinton merely smirked lazily in response. "Say, I think I want to have some fun with Stefan's woman. What do you think will happen if I do?""Don't even think about it, you hooligan!" Seraphina's face flushed in anger. She tried to slap Quinton's cheek, but he quickly grabbed her wrist and stopped her.Quinton sneered, "You'll do anything for your fiance, won't you? How about I offer you a deal then? If you serve me well, I'll let Stefan go."Quinton pretended to be a pervert and caressed her body, making her shiver. "After that, I'll release the video of us to the public. When that happens, the whole
Stefan frowned. As he carefully made his way towards the door, the crying voice became louder."It must be Renee… they're torturing Renee! Chase was lying, Renee can't be the Midnight Demon's younger sister! She would never leave me behind!" Agitated, Stefan hurriedly opened the door. Unable to see, he tripped over the steps and crashed to the ground, hurting his palms and knees. He quickly got up, but tripped and fell again after just a few steps. He was a complete mess."Save me! Help! Don't touch me! Get away from me!"Stefan's heart ached with worry when he heard the woman's cries for help."Useless! Damn it, Stefan, you good-for-nothing!" Stefan snarled, feeling distraught. He covered his face with his hands, feeling like he was losing his mind. How he wished he could gouge out his eyes! He knew his woman was in danger but couldn't do anything about it. It was worse than having someone torture him to death!"Renee, wait for me. I'm coming! I'll save you!" Stefan swore, his bo
"Stef! What do you mean? I'm Seraphina. Don't you recognize me?" Seraphina tried to tidy her torn clothes, her eyes filled with tears. She looked at Stefan, feeling ashamed. "Are you disgusted? Those monsters hurt me and made me dirty. Is that why you don't want to talk to me anymore?""Oh, it's you!" Stefan exhaled, feeling relieved. Stefan had thought it was Renee who called for help, and images of her being tortured had flooded his mind and made his head ache. Fortunately, it was not Renee."W-What do you mean?" The desperation in Seraphina's eyes grew. Stefan's attitude towards her was a million times more painful than the abuse she had just suffered."Did you think I was Renee? Did you think those monsters tortured Renee as she tried to save you? Are you relieved to find out that it was just me? Because if it's me, you wouldn't have cared as much, would you?" Seraphina cried out bitterly.Stefan did not reply, and instead asked her, "Seraphina, what are you doing here? What ha
"That freak! I'm going to dig out his eyes and make him pay!""Don't be impulsive. This is his territory. He's unrestrained here. You won't be able to imagine how crazy he could be.""Stef, why have you become such a coward? That man made your eyes blind. He even sent those monsters to humiliate me. Are we going to let this slide? Aren't you the powerful Stefan? You…""No, I'm not!" Stefan said without any emotions in his eyes, "That Stefan is dead.""Don't say that. Even though you're blind now, it's not impossible to heal with advanced medical technology now and the right eyes."Seraphina hugged Stefan and wept. "Stay strong. The Hunt and Murphy families are rich and powerful. I'm sure your eyes will heal!""All the more reason to stay calm and find a way out of here. Things will get better," Stefan said emotionlessly. He wanted Seraphina to leave safely. Otherwise, this guilt would weigh him down for life like a mountain."You're right. Things will eventually get better!"Se
"What do you want from me? Just say it." Stefan knew Quinton would not let them go just like that. Quinton was vengeful and would not stop until he tortured Stefan."It's simple. I just received an order from an old customer. He's old and needs a strong heart. He wants a strong heart from someone powerful and strong, so he has his eye on you. After all, you're the second young master of the Hunt family. You're the only one deserving of the title in Beach City," Quinton said, smiling casually as if he was talking about the weather. "So, if you willingly cooperate with my surgeon and give your heart to my client, I'll release Ms. Murphy.""No, never!" Seraphina had been hiding behind Stefan, but when she heard that, she ran in front of Stefan and held her arms out to block the way. She no longer cared about anything at this moment. "You freak! Devil! You can find the right heart for a little money, but you want Stef's. What you really want is his life! Don't even think about it! I wo
Stefan was a little dazed. He touched his chest subconsciously and thought, 'It seems… my heart is still there. It's still beating.'"Damn. What happened?" Stefan had a terrible headache. He couldn't see and didn't know where he was. Suddenly, he heard Francine's miserable cries. "It's Stef. It's really Stef. He's back! Oh, thank God!"Francine hugged him so tightly she almost crushed him."Mom?" Stefan frowned slightly and called out, feeling unsure."Son! I'm right here. You've suffered so much, my poor boy!" Francine said agitatedly. During the days of Stefan's disappearance, Francine cried all day and night. She seemed to have aged ten years from crying so much. "Son, where the hell have you been all this time? We searched the whole of Beach City but couldn't find you. Are you okay? Who had the audacity to do this to you? We must take revenge. Our family…" Francine started heatedly, but was soon interrupted by Stefan."Mom, where am I now?""Silly boy, where do you think?
"Mom, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect myself, and now I've made you sad." Stefan's voice was calm.Francine looked at Stefan sadly. Her son used to be such a proud man, and now he was so depressed and melancholy. The light in his eyes seemed to have disappeared. Francine was devastated seeing her son like this; it was so painful that she could hardly breathe."Stef. Oh, son. What have you been through?" Francine hugged Stefan tightly. She couldn't imagine the kind of torture Stefan had been through during his disappearance to become like this."It's over. I don't want to talk about it," Stefan said indifferently. He did not want to reveal anything, and forbade Seraphina from saying anything.Stefan believed what he had suffered was the consequence of his past actions. It was to repay what he owed to Renee, and he deserved it. The debt was cleared, and the two no longer owed each other anything. There was no need to get involved with each other again."Okay. Let's not talk about it.
"I couldn't believe it either! I didn't think Ms. Everheart would be so cruel to Stefan, the man she truly loved. Her love may have turned sour, but she shouldn't have been so cruel. Unfortunately, it was indeed Ms. Everheart's doing. Love can be so beautiful, yet so scary sometimes!" Seraphina sobbed, deliberately slandering Renee. Renee's brother was the one who harmed them anyway, which was the same as Renee hurting them."Stef was reluctant to tell you for old time's sake. Ms. Everheart was the one who did it, but he did not want you to act impulsively and try to avenge him." Seraphina watched Francine's expression and continued to add fuel to the fire. "Also, when I went to save Stef, Ms. Everheart retaliated and hurt me. I..."Seraphina hesitated, then burst into tears."Good girl, calm down. How did she hurt you? Tell me…""S-She ordered a bunch of men to violate me. I almost died!" As Seraphina spoke, she lifted the hem of her nightgown, revealing the shocking bruises on he
Then, Stefan calmly placed the crab leg on the plate in front of Leia. Leia was flabbergasted. She did not dare to move. She wondered what he was doing, and if he wanted to sacrifice her."Why aren't you eating it?" Stefan looked at Leia, sounding composed. Yet, he was full of the dominance that could burn anyone.Leia swallowed and gnashed her teeth, asking Stefan, "How could you peel the crab for me? Isn't it inappropriate?" She was the most cowardly person. Usually, she looked fierce and indignant as if she wanted to punish Stefan severely. But when he came to her and looked at her, she would be very frightened. She would not dare to do anything."Why not? Someone said women shouldn't peel the prawns or crabs themselves. I'm just being a gentleman. It's nothing serious. It's just peeling the crab!" Stefan said. It was rare to see him speak so much. It was incompatible with his contradictory identity. However, it was clear that he was mocking Justin and saying how ridiculo
Both Stefan and Justin mocked each other, which made the atmosphere more awkward. Although Liam and Leia were simply watching the fun, they felt awkward, too. It made them restless.Renee was having a hard time, too. She smacked the table and said to Stefan and Justin, "You'd better stop eating. Go out and fight. The food got cold because of your endless fight."When she spoke, she sounded like a class teacher with absolute authority. Although both Stefan and Justin were dissatisfied, they fell silent and did not dare to say more. Everyone started enjoying the great food, but said nothing. It seemed a little gloomy.Renee was about to get a prawn, but Justin had already peeled it nicely for her. He dipped it in some sauce and put it in Renee's bowl. "I know you love prawns the best. I've peeled it for you. Of course, women can't peel the prawns themselves.""Oh, Mr. Baldwin. You're considerate. You're a role model among the men. Anyone who marries you will be very happy!" Le
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.