Chapter: 1138
Her face instantly flushed red, and she quickly turned around to slip back into the room to hide, but she bumped into Stefan, who was following closely behind her, and fell right into his arms.
�What�s wrong?� asked Stefan. He held a coat in his hands, which he gently and lovingly wrapped around Renee�s shoulders, worried that she might catch a cold from wearing too little.
�Why didn�t you tell me that there were guests downstairs? What would your family think of me now?!� Renee buried her beet-red face in her hands, totally humiliated. She wished that she could find a hole in the ground and hide in there forever.
They must have found out that she had been sleeping in this late, and if she showed up looking unkempt and disheveled, she would forever be regarded as the shame of the Hunt family and drown in their saliva from their disparaging opinions!
�What they think is their business,� replied Stefan. �All I want is for you to be comfortable.� Stefan put his arms around Renee�s shoulders and calmly led her downstairs.
Then, in a casual tone, he greeted everyone, �Good morning, uncles and aunts. Please forgive me and Renee for getting up so late.�
Stefan�s power and position in the Hunt family were only second to old Mr. Hunt, so as soon as he spoke up, his voice carried a certain authority that instantly silenced the whole room.
But when he looked down at the woman in his arms, his voice became as gentle as spring showers when he dotingly said, �Come on, don�t be shy. Say hello to the elders in our family.�
No matter how embarrassed Renee was, she could not possibly just ignore Stefan�s suggestion, so she bit the bullet and greeted the people in the room.
The women feared Stefan, so even though they had wagged their tongues just seconds ago, they didn�t even dare to let out a fart, all of them except Sheila, who feared no one.
�Ah, Renee! It�s been so long since we last met! It must�ve been, let me see� four years!� Like a demon hiding behind an angel�s mask, she took Renee�s hands and smilingly told her, �I remember how everyone was cheering on happily when Stefan kicked you out of the house back then, but I was the only one who pitied you because I have a sensitive heart, you see��
�Sheila!� Francine cut her off angrily, barely able to restrain herself from tearing out Sheila�s mouth herself. �If you have nothing nice to say, then just shut up! No one would think that you�re dumb if you don�t speak for a while!�
The situation had now gotten awkward. Apart from Stefan�s immediate family, the rest were staring at Renee and Sheila, eager to see how the scene would play out.
But Renee did not mind Sheila�s words at all. With a faint smile, she said, �It�s fine. I don�t hold grudges.�
This emboldened Sheila, and she continued to speak even more viciously. �That�s a good girl! I was just telling your mother-in-law that I�ve prepared a special gift for you. Why don�t you put it on and see if it suits you?�
She then took out the golden lock from the box and stuffed it into Renee�s hands, telling her, �This is called a chastity lock. It must�ve been really hard for you, raising two children as a single mother all these years. Undoubtedly, you must have looked for some other men just so you could survive��
�I heard some ridiculous rumors about you out there,� she continued. �They say that your children aren�t Stefan�s, but that their real father is that Osborne boy, because they�ve got a gene for twins in that family. Come here. Let me put this on for you. This lock will signify that from now, you�ll stay completely loyal to Stefan and the Hunt family!�
Sheila, lacking an ounce of respect for her, was undoubtedly trying to humiliate Renee. Everyone else was also watching on with amusement. After all, everyone in the Hunt family, even the servants, was so used to bullying and humiliating Renee that it was no longer a surprising sight.
�We don�t need it,� said Stefan with a stony face. He exuded an icy cold aura while his piercing eyes were focused on Sheila.
Intimidated by Stefan�s gaze, Sheila sputtered, �What� What�s wrong, Stefan? I only mean well!� JrNovels.com