"Are you serious?" Stefan looked at Xavier with a cold gaze. His eyes instantly lit up."My men just sent me a message. They said they saw her at an antique market in Water Dock. Here are the photos they sent me," Xavier gushed.He quickly switched on his phone and zoomed in on a photo for Stefan.This was a photo taken from the side. The woman's tall nasal bridge and collar bones looked perfectly identical to Renee's.That wasn't all. She even had on the same white dress Renee once wore.This unclear photo of her face from the side was enough to ignite Stefan's passion and hope!He didn't even hesitate for a split second before standing to his feet. "Let's have a look."The two drove to Water Dock. Meanwhile, Christopher stayed at Hunt Villa in case of an emergency.Xavier saw Stefan clinging tightly to a notebook. He couldn't help but feel curious. "Stef, is your notebook a confidential document? Why won't you put it down?""It isn't," Stefan replied coldly. He looked out th
The emotions Xavier felt were equally intense as those of Stefan!"Huh. Is that all?" Xavier flipped through the notebook and began complaining loudly while thumping his chest. "It's getting to the fun part. Why did it stop here? Who is the author? We should have that person whipped in public!"Stefan subconsciously moved a little further away for fear that Xavier might accidentally hit him.Xavier read the novel multiple times before he realized something. "Stefan, are the male and female leads actually you and your wife?"Stefan rolled his eyes at Xavier. "Who else could they be?""Did she write this? Are the things she wrote all true?""Half of it!" Stefan replied."Although not all details were accurate, her description of how they treated each other in the novel was nearly identical to how their marriage went in real life.Xavier seemed shocked. He held the notebook as if he was holding a precious treasure. "I never knew your wife was this good at writing! I was close to t
Amidst the tension, they arrived at Water Dock.Xavier smiled ambiguously at Stefan. "Stef, why don't we have a friendly competition? If you find her first, I'll accept the fact that she's yours and will forever consider her out of my reach. However, if I find her first… I'll make my move!""Whatever," Stefan replied nonchalantly."You're the most generous man in Beach City!" Xavier exclaimed before opening the door and hastily getting out of the car. He immediately started searching for Renee.Stefan, on the other hand, slowly got out of the car and smoothed out the wrinkles on his high-end suit. Like an emperor on tour, he scanned the surroundings arrogantly.Water Dock's antique market was the largest antique market in Beach City.Since it was located at a strategic intersection between several countries, many valuable treasures were smuggled and sold there. As a result, many local traders became wealthy. Likewise, with increased wealth came an increased crime rate. The area a
Xavier instantly deflated.Renee was indeed not like ordinary women. She was way too smart. She could easily see through him. It wasn't as easy as he thought.Never mind the other stuff—Xavier had spent the entire evening running around the dock, and he couldn't even find Renee. Defeated, that was when he finally went to Stefan to gather some intel.Feeling a little awkward, Xavier tried to change the topic. "Stef, what are you doing? You're holding a bamboo tube. Are you performing a magic trick?"Stefan ignored Xavier and started to focus on shaking the bamboo tube.After five or six shakes, a bamboo stick fell to the ground.The old man picked it up and read the text on the stick, and a complicated expression emerged on his face."What are you looking for, young man?" he asked."I want to know if she and I still have a chance," Stefan said coldly.Needless to say, by 'she,' he was referring to Renee.The old man let out a long sigh. "The breeze comes and goes; the beginnin
After finishing his sentence, Xavier ran off the same way he did before."How childish!" Stefan rubbed his temples and shook his head speechlessly.However, he was a little worried that something bad might happen to Renee. He stood up and prepared to leave.The old man stopped him. "Young man, that is your friend's fate. You don't have to get involved. Why don't you stay here and browse through these treasures? Perhaps, something you buy might one day become the thing that brings you and the love of your life together."It was strange. Whereas others would've thought this old man was making nonsense up, Stefan trusted him and stayed. He scanned the things on display, and that was when a silk object caught his eye.To be more precise, the art on the silk object caught his attention."How much is this?" Stefan asked."Since you and I met by fate, I'll sell it to you for a dollar. Consider it as a payment for drawing the bamboo stick." The old man then put the silk object in a box
Stefan murmured to himself, "Renee, oh, Renee. You're such a pain in the ass. You're going to be in deep trouble once I get my hands on you!"The casino was huge. People gathered in large groups in each area, but there was one particular area with the greatest number of people. Eager gamblers surrounded a round casino table as they made excited cat-calls.Stefan instantly knew something fishy was going on, and he quickly strode over.Unsurprisingly, there was a young woman all tied up on the table.The woman barely had any clothes on—the white silk dress that concealed little of her skin was extremely thin, while a feathered mask covered the upper half of her face. Curled up into a ball in the corner, she was evidently trembling.Stefan felt a tightness in his chest. He clenched his fists and prepared to charge forward.That's because he could tell the woman's facial features were nearly identical to Renee's despite the feathered mask she was wearing.She had the same pointy nos
"Watch out!" Stefan shouted from the edge of the crowd.After all, this was someone else's turf. Xavier's behavior was too conspicuous, and he was putting himself in a passively dangerous situation."You actually have an accomplice!" The man discovered Stefan and gave instructions to another group of security guards. "Capture him and shoot him right away!""How dare you?" Xavier, who was relatively calm in the beginning, instantly lost his cool.He gently put Renee down before glaring coldly at the man. "You can be rude to me, but you're asking for trouble if you talk to Stefan like that!"The man was dumbfounded by Xavier's reaction.He'd met fearless people before, but none audacious to such an extent. Xavier was practically dicing with death. How was Xavier brave enough to provoke him like this?Without saying a word, Xavier delivered a kick to the man's stomach. "Get on your knees and apologize to Stefan!"Stefan felt a little speechless. 'You can get on your knees, but tha
"Of course!" Hank nodded repeatedly. The man on the ground nearly peed his pants. "Thank you for sparing my life… Thank you for sparing my life," he muttered continuously.It wasn't their fault for being so humble. The Stuart family was leagues above them. They might not care about the law when it came to grey areas like these, but they wouldn't dare go against the Stuart family unless they no longer wanted to dabble in this field.In actual fact, Xavier was only so arrogant because he had told his subordinate to inform Hank about the situation before he went there."This casino is simply too gory. I can't stay here for another minute!" Xavier covered his nose and exclaimed in disgust."It can't be helped, Mr. Stuart. This is the only way the casino can attract people. It's messy, but it's also where all things are possible. Here, you can win anything under the sun, things that you'll never be able to buy anywhere else!" Hank wasn't the owner of this underground casino. He was, at
Jovan felt that he wasn't as passionate and loving as Stefan."Stop beating around the bush. Why is he trying to hold himself back? You made a scumbag sound like he'd suffered a lot!" Renee snarled.She gnashed her teeth. If her foot was not chained, she would have long beaten Jovan up for being evasive and mysterious."I think he was forced to give up his beloved woman because of his identity. He has suffered a lot." Jovan frowned, his tone laced with sympathy."What about his identity? I've already known about that. Our grandfathers decided on our marriage. What are we, Romeo and Juliet?" Renee had wondered if their families were sworn enemies. It might be the reason why Stefan was in a dilemma.However, her grandfather made the Hunts take care of her when her family was doomed. Her grandfather always wanted the best for her. He held her hand and told her that only Stefan could make her happy, and only the Hunt family could protect her. It seemed unreasonable that Stefan was
Jovan was stunned to hear Renee's words. He was so furious, he laughed."Maybe!" He agreed with her and looked at her wickedly. "Since I can't win him over, I want his beloved woman.""You're out of your mind!" Renee was disgusted as goosebumps gripped her. "I'm not his most beloved woman. He loves Briar the most. You got the wrong person. You should kidnap Briar instead. Then, you can get to him."She was acting out of spite, but she meant what she had said.In the past, she was confident that Stefan loved her the most. After so many things had happened, she was no longer as confident. Stefan eventually broke up with her because of Briar. It was enough to prove her position in his heart."Haha! Do you really think so?" Jovan shook his head, his lips a complicated smile. He seemed to be muttering to himself or hinting at something. "Unfortunately, he can't always do a good job. His romance is a mess. His most beloved woman doesn't understand him. How pathetic!""Stop mumbling!
"You're trying to take revenge on Stefan, aren't you? What did he do? Why do you hate him so much?" Renee demanded.She was particularly clueless.At the very least, she felt that Stefan and Jovan didn't have a grudge even if they couldn't get along. Besides—back then, Stefan survived because of Jovan's blood.In a sense, they should be close to each other. Stefan was able to live on because of Jovan.Yet now, Jovan wanted to ruin the one he had once risked his life to rescue."No, I don't hate him," Jovan answered honestly. "I even admire him, and I'm jealous of him. He's my role model, the pride of my family.""Then, you're envious of him!" Renee went straight to the point. "You can't defeat him, so you tried to make him disappear. When that happens, you'll feel better. No one will block you, and you'll get a chance to shine."Jovan, speechless, slowly stopped smiling. Renee had accurately guessed his innermost thoughts. Since he couldn't defeat Stefan, he would let Stefan b
The thing Renee feared the most was that Jovan's action would infuriate the Baldwins.Quinton, Adie, Abby, and Margaret were still there. If the Baldwin family wanted to do something bad, Renee's family would be in danger. Her happiness was secondary. She just wanted to ensure that her family was safe and sound.It seemed Austin was full of schemes. Though he seemed to have brought her family to live with her, he in truth just wanted hostages to control her…Unfortunately, she couldn't go back in time even though she had seen through his tricks."What's the rush?" Jovan watched Renee with a meaningful smile. "Someone will handle it even if it's a big mess. Your family will be fine. My foolish cousin won't let them be in danger. At most, the two families will fight fiercely."Renee was shocked. She glared at him, and suddenly understood something. "So you did it on purpose! You wanted to watch them fight and get something from it.""That's not my concern. Once, I was more powerf
After all, Jovan was a human being. Such direct physical pain made him shake and groan. Normally, he should get angry and try all means to make her stop biting him.However, he was not an ordinary man. Although he trembled in pain, he maintained his posture and let her bite him as if he wanted to see who would give up first.Renee kept biting him fiercely, as if her teeth would gnaw through his palm. Blood oozed out of the wound. She was full of hatred, wishing to vent her anger. "Just bite me hard as long as you're happy. I'm enjoying myself too!"Jovan looked at her, whose head was lowered as she kept biting his palm fiercely. It was a bloody scene, but his words made everything sound ambiguous. Renee noticed his underlying meaning and was disgusted. She immediately let go of his palm. "Bah! Disgusting! You're sick!"Her lips were still stained with blood. From afar, it looked like a blooming rose from afar. It looked attractive on her. Aroused, Jovan held the back of her
The bed was around seventy inches large. Renee's eyes were closed as she moved anxiously.She thought she was still sleeping in the West Chamber, but the mattress didn't feel the same. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes. She saw a luxurious bedroom in the Paris La Nuit Club style. Above her hung a brilliant chandelier akin to the ones in medieval castles. A fragrant scent permeated the air. "You're finally awake…" A man's bewitching voice came from an inconspicuous corner. "Renee."Jovan was sitting in a luxurious chair, his legs crossed, swaying a glass of red wine. He appeared like a stereotypical vampire as he stared wickedly at Renee. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? What did you do to me?" Renee yelled.Recalling what had happened, she abruptly sat up. Once she realized her situation, she started snarling at him. "Do you or your family hold a grudge against me? Why did you kidnap me from my engagement party?! Have you thought about the consequences? I'm sure you know h
"I… I don't know! I really don't know!" The makeup artist's face was flushed, her eyes rolling back. She felt like she was about to faint again."Are you still trying to hide the truth?" Justin continued flexing his fingers. He was certain that the makeup artist who suddenly wanted to modify the size of the gown must be aware of the truth.With her eyes rolled back, the makeup artist begged him, "I'll tell you…! Please let me go! I'll tell you everything!" Hearing that, Justin slowly released his grasp.The makeup artist finally got a chance to breathe. She kept taking deep breaths and almost cried because of her terror. "What should I tell you?" She truly knew nothing."What?" Justin's gaze grew fierce."Oh, I remember it now…" She drew in a cold breath and hurriedly said, "A handsome guy came not long after you were gone. I think he's Mr. Hunt. When Ms. Everheart saw him, she was very…"She paused, trying to find her words. "She was very…?" Justin urged her. This was the
Meanwhile, Liam and Leia became vigilant when they saw that scene."What are they doing?" Liam walked past the guests enjoying the fun and stood between Alexander and the two guards. He faked a smile and said, "We're the guests you invited sincerely. Is this how the Baldwin family treats their guests?""Guests?" Austin got off the stage and strode toward them. Although he was smiling, coldness gleamed in his eyes. "Have you ever seen any guest steal the hostess?""You can't say that, Sir Baldwin..." Liam smiled and added, "How could you be sure that it must be the Hunt family?""Who else could it be?" "This is just your guess. They've always been here. Even if they wanted to do that, they couldn't. So… You should act fair and square, given your noble identity. Shouldn't you find fault with the culprit instead? Isn't that more reasonable?" Liam looked at Austin. Although he was younger and came from a family weaker than the Baldwin family, he was still domineering.Besides, his
Alexander took a deep breath and analyzed logically, "This wasn't Stef's style. If he wanted to snatch her away, he would have done it openly in front of everyone. But this trick was cunning and dishonest!""Yes, you're right, but this is a special case. If he didn't use a trick, his woman would marry someone else. It's normal for him to be restless." Although Francine agreed with Alexander's analysis, she felt that Stefan could do anything if it concerned Renee. Naturally, he would stoop this far. "Regardless, we have to leave," Alexander whispered to Francine, sensing danger. "Austin has always been decisive and cruel. Since Stef humiliated him, I'm sure he wouldn't let Stef off easily. We're in danger too.""Is it that serious?" Francine looked at Austin, who was standing on the stage. He coldly ordered his assistant about something. It seemed like he wasn't that crazy. "I don't care what he'll do. We have to get out of North City right away because this city is controlled b