He was indeed Mr. Q, or more precisely, he was his substitute. After being defeated, the real Mr. Q�s fate was unknown after their previous battle.

For years, he had taken over Carmine Pawnshop using a mask and a modified voice. With that, he was able to establish a new order within Water Dock. He had never intended to involve Renee and the kids, but destiny had other plans and brought them together regardless.

It was true that one big lie required a thousand smaller lies to cover up. When he put on the mask and faced Renee as �Mr. Q�, he knew that there was no way of turning back, especially when she had started depending on him, and even falling for him.

If he were to come clean right now, Renee would definitely accuse him of purposefully toying with her and humiliating her. He knew just how much her dignity meant to her. The cracks in their relationship would only grow bigger then, to the point where they wouldn�t be able to fix it even if they tried�

�But if I don�t tell her, how am I supposed to win her back? Hah, how ironic. My rival is myself! Is this what they call karma?�

�Mr. Q, you dummy, I won�t let you insult yourself like that�� Renee continued mumbling, still embracing the man. �You�re a kind, gentle person� So how could you be the same as that iceberg? Unless, of course, you have a split personality!�

�You�re right, we�re not the same person, but our love for you is the same.� Stefan had been maintaining his position for quite some time now, and both his neck and back were sore all because he wanted to let Renee sleep comfortably.

The man then patted her on the back, speaking in his softest voice, �Sleep well, Renee, sweet dreams. Tomorrow will be a new day.�

Hearing this, Renee smiled and fell into a deep sleep. The next day, as sunlight flooded the spacious backseat of the Rolls-Royce, Renee opened her eyes slowly, only to find herself lying on top of Stefan.

Their bodies were basically glued together � her head on his shoulder, and her nose brushing his neck. Their position was� quite intimate, to say the least.

Her entire face flushed red, and she held her breath as she carefully tried getting up. Suddenly, Stefan tightened his grip, firmly holding her by the waist. This pulled them into an even more intimate position.

�Let go of me, Hunt!� Renee struggled, feeling embarrassed.

�You�ve slept with me for a whole night, yet now you�re asking me to let go? Is this really how you repay me?� Stefan said as he stared at the woman, his gaze piercing.

Renee couldn�t bear his intense gaze and averted her eyes. �I was drinking in the bar! When did I even sleep with you? This is slander!�

�You got drunk and your wild instincts took over. Shouldn�t you be at least a little aware of this?�

The man�s words were irrefutable, so Renee decided to put on a tough act instead. �So what if I slept with you? It�s not like this is the first time it happened!�

Stefan froze, and finally realized that Renee could have misunderstood him. They didn�t exactly sleep with each other, they merely slept together, but� he didn�t exactly intend to clear things up. Instead, he smirked slyly and teased,

�What do you take me for? Do you really think you can just sleep with me whenever you like?�

�I take you as a toy, okay?� Renee blushed and quickly got out of his embrace. She then rummaged through her pockets and took out six hundred dollars, finally throwing the cash at the man�s handsome face.

Putting on an arrogant face, she said nonchalantly, �Here�s your payment � just tell me if it�s not enough.� JrNovels.com