Three days later, Renee's vital signs were back to normal, so she requested to be discharged from the hospital. Instead of hiding in Joyner Village to heal, she returned to Beach City with Jeffrey. She promised Cole and Ava that she would show Jeffrey the outside world and make him learn through experiences. She did plan to introduce him to Xavier's company so he could try to make a living in the entertainment field. "You're so nice to my family. We don't know how to repay you!" Ava wiped away her sweat and smiled gratefully at Renee. Rich and noble people would generally pinch their noses and leave when they saw stinky fishermen like them, but Renee was different. Not only did she not despise them, she also regarded them as her family. Back then, she had given them money to help resolve their family crisis, and now, she was helping with Jeffrey's future. Ava felt that she could never repay such kindness even if it took up her entire lifetime."You're welcome, Mrs. Joyner. I want to
Renee looked ahead silently, then sighed and said firmly, "Let's go home." Previously, she'd been gloomy and depressed, and she didn't want her mood to affect the children if she went home. However, the ocean seemed to have cleansed her of all those bad emotions, and she had finally come to her senses and regained the confidence to face her family and friends."Are you feeling more like yourself now?" Justin asked with a smile. Renee was different now—she was like a warrior who had found her armor. It had been a while since Justin had seen her like this, and he was genuinely happy for her."I am." Renee nodded."I'm glad to hear that. Well, people... can get a little crazy sometimes, but it's alright as long as you know how to get your groove back. Welcome back, Phoenix!" Then, Justin stepped on the pedal and sped onto the highway. After around half a day, the car finally reached Everheart Manor. Renee got out of the car, feeling melancholic. Her house was just as she remembered
"Abby!" Renee turned around, and when she saw her daughter, her heart warmed. She carried Abby in her arms. "Yes, it's me. I'm sorry, baby… I was away for a long time. Did you miss me?" Abby looked tense when Renee picked her up, and she shook her head. "You're not Mommy. Mommy's eyes are black, and she can't see.""Umm, well..." Renee smiled in amusement, then blinked and said, "I've changed my eyes, and now I can see you, Abby. What do you think? Do you like my new eyes?" "Are you really my mommy?" Abby looked doubtful. Abby was still young and naive, so when Renee looked different from what Abby was familiar with, she became suspicious. "Yes, touch me if you don't believe me. Don't I look the same?" Renee put Abby's hand on her cheek.At first, Abby was cautious as she tentatively touched Renee's face. However, the moment she felt Renee's skin, the little girl's eyes lit up in joy. "Yes, you're Mommy! Only Mommy has such smooth and soft skin..." She held Renee's arm and sobb
Renee followed Adie to the bedroom on the second floor quickly.Adie smoothly turned on the computer and opened his email inbox, ponting at a recent email excitedly. "This is the email I just got from Daddy. He asked Abby and me to be good and listen to you, and said he'll be back after settling his things." Renee stared at the email with mixed feelings. After taking a deep breath, she leaned towards the screen and read the email. It was roughly what Adie had said—Stefan had told the children that he was safe, asked them to be good, and told them not to anger Renee. He also promised that he would be back soon. The email had been sent from Stefan's private email.Both Adie and Abby didn't know what was going on between Renee and Stefan, and were just happy at the thought of having a family reunion. They hugged Renee. "Mommy, I knew that you and Daddy must have left suddenly because of something. We can be a happy family again soon!" Renee felt uneasy, and touched their faces, sayi
"Mommy, why are you saying that? Did you argue with Daddy again? Did something happen to him? Why are you so sure that he won't be back?" Adie's gaze was sharp as he asked Renee."Umm..." Renee stalled, not knowing how to explain it. Adie squinted at Renee and said slowly, "You must have argued with Daddy. Daddy's probably scared of coming home and facing your anger, right?"Renee sighed deeply, and confessed, "I do want to argue with him… but the problem is that I never saw him again after he left. How can I argue with him?" It was weird. They used to be madly in love with each other, and Stefan was even willing to give up Hunt Enterprise and his life for her, but why did he no longer want to see her? Adie might be right—Stefan might have figured that Renee was aware of his disloyalty and was afraid of her anger, so he was too scared to meet her. "Mommy, ask yourself this—if Daddy appears before you now, will you be happy or mad? Will you welcome him with a hug, or will you slap
Meanwhile, Stefan stared at the computer screen in a manor not far from Everheart Manor. He read the email he had just clicked on and frowned, his gaze cold but also somewhat sad."Don't come back for the rest of your life if you don't want to?" Xavier sipped his coffee as he leaned over Stefan's shoulder to read the email. He chuckled when he saw who the sender was. "I'm sure Adie didn't write this. It sounds so angry… I'm sure it's Renee.""I don't need your analysis. I'm not stupid," Stefan growled icily. He had been living next door to Everheart Manor recently, watching the house secretly. He had emailed Adie to reassure the two children, and they had been keeping in touch, so he knew how his son wrote emails. He didn't need Xavier to point out the obvious. "Stefan, why do you insist on hiding from everyone?" Xavier could not bear to see Stefan this dispirited, and tried to persuade him. "You should talk it out with Renee so you can resolve this conflict. If you keep acting lik
Stefan's expression didn't change and he was quiet for a while. Finally, he asked, "Do you have a needle and string?""No?" Xavier looked confused. "Why are you asking?" "I want to sew your lips shut," Stefan said casually, then stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Actually, a knife will do too. I can cut off your tongue and solve this problem forever.""Stefan, no! I know you're upset that your masculinity is on the line, but don't implicate the innocent! The medical field is very advanced now, and I'm sure a good doctor can cure it." Xavier babbled nervously, picking up a pillow and using it like a shield.Stefan glared at him. "Why would you assume there's something wrong with me?""It was just a guess!" Xavier argued, "If there's nothing wrong with you in that aspect, why did you suddenly go missing? And you even watch them constantly. If you weren't handsome, people would call you a pervert." Recently, both Xavier and Renee had almost lost their minds searching for Stef
If Stefan lived near Renee, he could at least watch Renee secretly. It was as if they were still together but in a different way."Of course I care about someone a lot," Xavier protested, immediately bringing up Leia. "Don't I care about Leia? You know how shameless I am just to get close to her. Back then, didn't I do everything for Shirley too? Did I give up? I'm bolder than you in my love affairs. Don't you agree?" Xavier felt that Stefan could doubt his morality, capabilities, and even looks, but he couldn't doubt Xavier's feelings. "Although we didn't have dramatic pasts like you and Renee, our feelings were real, and we faced the same challenges. We're just not as crazy as the two of you!""So?" Stefan stared at Xavier icily. "Are you both a couple? Are you closer to her than before?""Umm..." Xavier seemed to shrink, and looked away awkwardly. Stefan was right in a sense—all Xavier's attempts at a relationship were failures. At first, he had loved Shirley madly, but he then g