Chase smiled sadly at the memory. �At that time, Joanne was our princess, and as her

knights, we protected her from the evil in the world. She enjoyed a pampered life without learning the ways of the world, and maybe that was what gave a villain the chance to use her.�

�Villain� Who was that?� Renee had a name in mind, but she prayed and hoped that it wasn�t the case.

�Miss Everheart, you�re not stupid. I�m sure you can guess who it was�� Chase grimaced as he was forced to recall that unfortunate memory. �That year, Carmine Pawnshop was at the peak of its glory, but at some point, it butted heads with the Hunt family�s industrial chain. Stefan had just taken over some of his family�s properties at that time, so he saw Carmine Pawnshop as a way to prove himself. Both parties fought each other for many years, but it

was neck and neck�

�The Hunt family did well in legitimate businesses, but they weren�t used to underground dealings. They couldn�t fight my boss since he was more experienced in that area, and he had been overtaking them the whole time, but the situation soon changed� thanks to the cunning Stefan. He found my boss weakness-Miss Garcia, an innocent and gullible young woman. He approached her and bewitched her until she betrayed my boss.�

Chase clenched his fists tightly, his lip curling in anger. �Initially, my boss had the upper hand during the great battle at sea that year, but Miss Garcia stabbed my boss to protect Stefan, before Stefan slashed his face. Desperate and downcast, he jumped into the sea, and Miss Garcia went missing after that��

�What?� Renee was dumbfounded, and couldn�t believe what she was hearing. �Is Stefan� really that cunning and wicked?"

�Hmph! Of course.� Chase snorted in disdain. �He�s just a sanctimonious and disloyal man who�ll do anything to get what he wants. He was so shameless that he even tricked and fooled a pure, naive girl! Even if he behaves differently and does a lot of charity now, he can�t hide the fact that he�s rotten to the core.�

Chase�s opinion of Stefan was similar to his

opinion of Joanne-though he hated the man, he couldn�t deny that he respected him very much too.

After all, he had been Stefan�s subordinate for four years at some point. During that time, the despicable man seemed� not as despicable as Chase had thought. It was very conflicting.

�The light that saved him turned out to be a knife that stabbed him� Joanne�s betrayal was a fatal blow to Quinton. No wonder he hates Stefan so much!� After listening to Chase�s explanation, Renee finally understood Quinton�s character.

A betrayal by the person you loved the most was the worst � it could turn even the most

innocent person into a monster.

Joanne and Stefan were the reason why Quinton was this way today. If it had happened to her, she might have become more extreme than Quinton if the light she cherished became a poisonous snake that bit her. She would have long hacked that person into pieces and gotten rid of them.

�I guess Joanne is the cause of my brother�s bitterness and resentment. Maybe he can be saved if we find Joanne and resolve the hatred between them. We can also put an end to the grudge he holds for Stefan��

�It�s not that simple.� Chase shook his head. �I also thought of that, but no one knows where Joanna is. Some people said that she jumped into the sea after my brother, and others said that Stefan had killed her. Some even claimed that she had been sold to the black market and was doing human shows. I hired a lot of people and used a lot of connections to look for her, but I couldn�t find her.�

�It�s fine. I have a way to find her.� Renee sounded firm. She would pay any price as long as it could help her brother be free of his hatred.

That night was destined to be a sleepless one.

Xavier, who had carried Leia out of a bar, was having a difficult time too.

�Let go of me! You�re nothing but a scumbag who tricks female college students and gets them pregnant! I�m going to expose your crimes so all the women in Beach City can see your true colours� If you don�t let go of me, I�m going to call the police. Help me! He�s trying to kidnap me. Help me call the police!�

Leia yelled, then slapped Xavier�s face and punched his stomach. It was unknown if Leia was truly drunk or if she was just pretending, but they attracted a lot of attention.

�Damn it! Woman, keep quiet. If you shout again, people will think I�m a pervert and arrest me!� Xavier hissed in her ear and tried to cover her mouth, but she bit his hand hard.

Xavier howled in pain and was forced to let go of her. After Leia regained her freedom, she ran onto the street haphazardly. JrNovels.com