“If this really is the thorn in his side, I need to see his wound before I can treat it.”

Renee looked at Chase imploringly.

”You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? His actions are often extreme, impulsive, and even twisted. If he keeps fighting Stefan, one of them will be sacrificed one day, and that’s not something I want to happen.”

“I agree with you, I don’t want unnecessary death either. I want this rivalry to end too,”

Chase said hesitantly.

“Then tell me, Chase. What’s been troubling my brother?” Renee asked, gripping Chase’s arms earnestly.

Chase was silent for a while, then finally heaved a long sigh. “Forget it. Miss Everheart, I can tell you if you really want to know. I believe that you’re the only one in this world who truly cares about him and wants him to be happy. I won’t regret it as long as he can resolve that hatred of his. Even if he wants to punish me for it, I’m willing to take the risk…”

The man abruptly gulped down his beer, then started to talk about their past.

“You know that he was abandoned when he was young, right? After that, he got adopted by a poor couple in that small fishing village. The couple already had a son and a daughter, so they were very reluctant to adopt my boss. Because of that, they used to hit and scold him all the time, and they also didn’t give him food and made him do heavy labour every day.” Chase had also grown up poor in that small fishing village, but because he was the only son in his family, he had lived a worry-free life.

“When we were young, the boss was very handsome, and everyone could easily tell that he was a rich, young heir. He was very popular among our group of youngsters, and we all had a lot of fun together. After a while, he and I became good friends. Sometimes, I would steal food from home for him to eat.” Chase smiled vaguely as he recalled those memories.

"Thank you, Chase. You must have been a ray of light in my brother’s dark childhood. No wonder you both are so close.” Renee saw Chase as her brother’s saviour, so she was very grateful towards him.

“No, the light in your brother’s life back then was Miss Joanne Garcia. Unfortunately, that light was not only his redemption… it was also his destruction. The thorn in his side for all those years was also brought on by Miss Garcia.” Many years had passed since then, but whenever Chase thought of Joanne, complicated emotions bubbled up in him. Love, but also hatred, were among them.

“Joanne Garcia,” Renee echoed slowly. Quinton had always talked about his past in the village, describing his crazy foster father, violent foster mother, and arrogant elder brother… But he had never mentioned Joanne.

“She was the young daughter of the boss foster parents, and was also the only one who saw him as her family…” When Chase talked about Joanne, his gaze softened, like he was talking about something wondrous.

“Joanne was petite and delicate like a doll, and always smiled ever so sweetly. Like my boss, she looked like a child from a rich family, so the both of them were quite out of place in that small fishing village. Maybe that was the reason why Joanne and my boss were close. Joanne would use her small body to protect him whenever he was scolded or beaten, and wouldn’t allow anyone to bully him… One time, my boss had been slashed by his crazy elder brother, and in the middle of the night, Joanne and him went to every house to beg for help. Some cruel fishermen drove them away as if they were jinxes, so she kneeled in front of their house to humbly ask for help. In the end, thanks to her, my boss was saved.”

“Looks like my brother had a guardian angel protecting him. As his sister, I can’t help but

feel ashamed.”

After Renee heard about Joanne and Quinton’s past, she became very curious about Joanne. She yearned to meet the angelic woman to thank her properly

“Yes, Miss Garcia was wonderful. She was like a pure flower -simple and naive without any malice in her. She was my boss motivation to survive. Eventually, he gained enough power to leave the small fishing village, but he suppressed his talent and capabilities just so he could be with her. He stayed in that tiny village and became a humble fisherman…”

“What happened afterwards? Where did she go? Why didn’t my brother mention her?”

Renee had so many questions.

“After that…” Chase frowned and murmured, “That wicked brother of hers bullied her, so my boss beat him up and ran away with Miss Garcia. I was a rebel too back then, so I went with them. We were just broke kids at the time, so we decided to go to the chaotic Water Dock to survive. We then risked our lives to establish Carmine Pawnshop.”

“Quinton really is amazing… All of you were.”

Renee could not imagine how three penniless youths established Carmine Pawnshop in that land of chaos. It was the border of three countries, and was full of savage people. Only they knew the pain and hardships they had to endure.

“Miss Garcia and I were ordinary, but your brother was something else. He was handsome and charming, and even though we had nothing, he managed to secure a whole lot of orders, especially ones from female customers. Soon, Carmine Pawnshop grew by leaps and bounds, and his reputation as the Night Demon also grew…” JrNovels.com