The dialogue between the two siblings made Leia feel a little jealous. Their conversation touched her.Leia wiped her tears and bumped Xavier with her elbow. "Look at them! How touching… Ren rarely relies on other people, so her brother must be a really good person. I'm so envious!"Xavier was the only child and could not understand such sibling love. He frowned, looking confused. "Don't you have a brother? Isn't your brother the same?""No way. I've been fighting with my brother since we were young. He always insults me and calls me names. He always says no one will ever want me, and I will never get married. He says I must equip myself with more skills, or I'll starve to death!" Leia whined.Leia could not stop whenever she complained about Liam. "Did you know he used to trick me when I was a kid? I handed my pocket money to him for safekeeping, but when I asked him for it, he asked me to pay a service fee. I had to give him two dollars to retrieve a dollar of pocket money. In th
Everyone was at a loss for words. There was a long silence. Xavier's smile froze a little, but he eventually laughed and reached out his hand to Quinton cheerfully. "Ah, you're an old friend! I've heard so much about you!""We're indeed old friends." Quinton had a cold look in his eyes. He said, smiling, "After all, there were many times when I wanted to chop you up and feed you to crocodiles!""Hahaha! Quinton, you're such a funny man!" Xavier pointed at Quinton. "I thought Stefan had beaten you into depression. Is that why you've been hiding in Water Dock?""You must be joking, Mr. Stuart. Do I look depressed? You can try to find out.""If I do, I'll die."The two men were going back and forth with smiles on their faces, but it felt like they were fighting it out with their words.Renee and Leia held each other's hands and retreated to the side, afraid of being accidentally injured."Okay. Have you had enough? Can you stop fighting? Don't block the entrance and hinder traffi
"Ah, monster!""That's so scary! Did someone cut off half of his face? That's terrible!"The passersby's reactions hurt Quinton's self-esteem badly. He quickly put his mask back on and smiled bitterly. "Sorry for scaring you.""N-No..." Renee felt sorry for Quinton and comforted him, "I think you're very handsome. Your eyes are very much like Mom's—gentle and determined. Your mouth is very much like Dad's. You have beautiful lips. You're really my brother. If we weren't blood-related, I would've fallen in love with you at first sight!""Really?" Quinton's eyes brightened immediately. Quinton had always wondered what his mother looked like. He had imagined it countless times, but it never felt real. However, when Renee described her, her image immediately came to his mind, and his heart softened."Of course. You can ask Lei too. She's Mom and Dad's goddaughter and often visited us. She knows Mom and Dad's faces very well… Right, Lei?""Y-Yes!" Leia had been startled by Quinton's s
"Why would I lie to you?" Xavier draped his arm around Quinton's shoulder and patted his chest with his other hand. "Don't worry, bro. You are Ren's brother, so you are also my brother. I only want the best for you!""But you are Stefan's friend, so how good can you be?" Quinton frowned and looked at the man's arm in disgust, restraining the urge to cut it off. Years of bloody battles had made him wary of people and unfamiliar with intimate interactions."No, no, no. I am no longer his brother. From now on, I will cut ties with that cold-blooded and heartless man!" Xavier crossed his arms, and smiled earnestly. "I am now your buddy, so I will listen to everything you say. And I wasn't joking earlier. If you want, I can bring you to the plastic surgeon and let him see if your face can be reconstructed.""Sure." Quinton nodded, the defensiveness in his eyes fading slightly.They got into the car and started talking happily. Quinton even warmly invited Xavier to Carmine Pawnshop to ha
"This is just my brother's hobby. There are dozens more in his display case. If you like them, I can ask him to send you a few.""My gosh, Ren, you are simply too rich!" Leia pretended to wipe away tears as she complained. "Ren, you're literally living the perfect life! You were born into a rich family, you're skilled at practically everything, and are currently the president of KCL. Not only that, your children are pretty and clever, and even your brother who appeared out of nowhere is a magnate. How are common girls like me going to live? Oh, but I forget about the scum from the Hunt family that tainted your life. Anyway, it doesn't matter. You have cut ties with that pathetic being, so you can live a beautiful life alone in the future…"Renee was amused by Leia's dramatic monologue. "My dear Ms. Lei, aren't you born into a rich family? Don't you have a powerful brother? And the most precious thing is that you have a reliable man. I am the one who should envy you.""Man?" Leia fro
Xavier paused briefly, and his playful smile turned stiff, but he admitted openly, "You're really smart. I indeed like your sister so I don't want to fall out with you or else I would have a thin chance of meeting her again.""I know you are a hopeless romantic like Stefan who can betray your friends for the sake of a woman. If Stefan knows about this, I bet he will want to kill you."Quinton smiled cryptically and continued. "Anyway, he might not be in the mood to care about this now, so it might be the best time for you to pursue my sister.""What happened to Stef… I mean, that scum… Isn't he enjoying his life now with a beautiful woman in his arms? How can he be in a bad mood?""Why are you so concerned about him now that you have betrayed him?""No, I'm just curious about whether karma will find the bad guys.""Rest assured, it will."Looking at Quinton's triumphant expression, Xavier knew that Stefan must be in some kind of trouble. Before he could ask about it, Renee pushe
"Bah, you really are the king of playboys and jerks. So, what you're saying is that you don't really like Lei, and you're just messing around with her out of habit?" Renee questioned sharply. She had to confirm Xavier's feelings for Leia before she could help Leia make her choice."I don't want to answer this." There was a subtle uneasiness under Xavier's nonchalance. He looked at Renee indifferently and said, "You're not my girlfriend, so I'm not obligated to tell you about my feelings.""Don't try to evade this with your playfulness, Xavier. Answer my question if you're a man. I know you're not a real playboy, you're just disguising yourself." Renee had hit the nail on the head. She still remembered that he nearly died in the fire to save her. No matter how vile he pretended to be, he could not hide his true self as a brave and responsible man."What does it have to do with you? Your righteous indignation may make me misunderstand you.""Huh? What do you mean?"What do you think
Renee felt nervous when she turned around and spotted Leia. "Lei, when did you get here? Why didn't you say something?""I've been here for a while. It looked like you both were having a good chat, so I didn't have the heart to interrupt." Leia slowly approached them, her tone indifferent and cold.'Darn!' Renee knitted her eyebrows. She did not expect that Leia would overhear her conversation with Xavier.As someone with high self-esteem, Lei must be very hurt!"Don't listen to his crap, Lei. He is just speaking casually. He is not such a person, he…" Renee anxiously tried to make excuses for Xavier, but then realized that the man's words were simply unforgivable."You don't have to defend me, darling, I am that kind of person. It's good for Lei to know this early so that she will give up on her unrealistic fantasies." Xavier put his hands in his pockets. The corners of his lips curved upwards, and his gaze was carefree and charming.Leia looked at the man coldly and said disdai
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.