She took Francine away from the hut and pointed at a dog-sized hole . �I�ve observed the surroundings, and this seems to be the only exit since there are guards guarding the front gate. You must leave now � it�s dark and there are not many guards on patrol!�

�I don�t want to!� Francine said defiantly, �I�m not scared of the Baldwin family. I�m not leaving unless you come with me! How can I let Sophia get her dirty little paws on a good daughter-in-law like you?�

Francine might have despised Renee before this, but after Renee saved her, she loved Renee with all her heart.

�Stop fooling around!� Renee sighed helplessly and said, "The truth is that the Baldwin family had always wanted to go to war with the Hunt family, but they never had an excuse to do so. Your sudden appearance has given them exactly that The Hunt family has the upper hand when it comes to business, but when it comes to military force, they can�t match up to the Baldwin family at all!� �You�ve only got one chance to leave. If you don�t, you�ll just be causing Stefan trouble. Can you be mature about this?�

Renee�s words made Francine hesitate and she sighed. �You�re right. As important as you are, my son is the priority at the end of the day. I can�t cause trouble for him!�

�Finally you�re thinking straight!� Renee let out a sigh of relief and pointed at the hole. �Go now.�

Francine held Renee�s hand and said seriously, �Let�s go together. I�m not the kind of person that�ll put others in danger. I can�t let you stay here!��

�I�m fine here. It�s a lot better than being in the Hunt family, to be honest. They won�t hurt me, but I can�t say the same if I ran away with you.�

Francine�s eyes softened in regret when she heard Renee�s words. �The Hunt family mistreated you in the past and for that� I apologize. I wasn�t mean to you earlier because I hated you, it�s just that I thought you and Stefan wouldn�t be happy together since you didn�t have feelings for each other, so I wanted you to leave him� I�m not actually an evil person.�

�I promise I won�t be mean to you anymore. I won�t push you to get pregnant or call you a jinx anymore. Please� just consider getting back with Stefan and coming back to the Hunt family. Well treat you better than the Baldwin family, and I�ll stand by you no matter what happens!� Francine�s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke determinedly.

Renee felt touched seeing Francine like this, she had realized her mistake and was now trying to make things right.

Suddenly, Renee felt that she had to let go of the past. She had never hated Francine, frankly speaking, and now she was seeing her in a new light. She smiled and said teasingly, �I don�t mind being called a jinx � it�s got a nice ring to it.�

�Ugh, you�re always so sarcastic. I already apologized to you, can�t you forgive me?� Francine whined, pouting like a child.

Renee raised her eyebrows and said, �Sure, I�ll think about it. Go home and wait for my news.�

�Really?� Francine�s eyes glowed with excitement. �If Stefan heard this, he�d be overjoyed. He�s such a proud man that he couldn�t bring himself to beg you to come back. So, I have to be the one to bring you back.�

�Clearly, I was joking�� Renee thought to herself. She was just saying it to make sure Francine left. Deep down, she knew that her time with Stefan had ended and there wouldn�t be any chance of them getting back together.

Finally, Francine obediently climbed out through the hole. Before she left, she mumbled, "This is the most embarrassing thing I�ve ever done. If not for all of you, I would�ve started a fight with them.�

Renee stifled her laughter and said, �You�re right. You�re extremely magnificent and don�t look undignified at all climbing out through that hole!�

When she was sure Francine was far away, she took some dirt and covered the hole neatly. �Done!�

She dusted her hands off and was about to head back and sleep. However, when she turned around, she was shocked to see Justin standing there. JrNovels.com