A man�s deep, cold voice came from the other end, �What�s the matter?�

The voice that Renee had not heard for four years was still as cold and distant as she remembered it to be.

Renee listened quietly, with a calm expression and no inner turmoil.

�Umm, M-Mr. Hunt, sorry to bother you��

Elon did not expect Stefan to pick up this fast, so he got nervous and stammered incoherently, �It�s like this� My niece, Renee, just got back to Beach City today. It�s a real surprise to see her again after she disappeared for so many years. You�ve taken good care of me in the last few years, so I want to invite you to my house for a meal together with Renee. You��

"There�s no need.�

Stefan, on the other end of the phone, refused without any hesitation or emotion.

After that, without saying anything else, he hung up the phone.

�But Mr. Hunt� Mr. Hunt?�

Elon called out to him a few more times but the only response he got was the sound of a disconnected call.

He tried calling again, but it seemed like Stefan had blocked him.

�Ren, don�t mind it� Mr. Hunt must be busy. He�s a CEO after all. I�ll try again with Mandy�s phone later.�

Elon glanced at Renee with a guilty and awkward expression, afraid that Renee might feel hurt.

He did not expect Stefan, who had always taken good care of the Barnes family, to suddenly become so unfriendly. It was obvious that he was avoiding Renee. Renee must feel really bad about it!

�It doesn�t matter!�

Renee shrugged and smiled. �If he comes, we�ll prepare a seat for him. If he doesn�t, I�ll eat more. It�s no big deal.�

Renee was not playing it cool. Stefan was just a stranger she used to know now. He could not stir any emotion in her.

Mandy�s brows furrowed as a disappointed expression crept onto her face. She shook her head repeatedly. �TskTsk Tsk, I was wrong about him. He should man up. He doesn�t even have the guts to have a simple meal with Ren, when Ren is okay with it.�

Elon said, �You brat, what do you know? I stand by my opinion. If you�ve gotten over it, you wouldn�t care. You�d only act awkwardly if you haven�t gotten over it. Mr. Hunt has always been a straightforward guy. For him to suddenly act like this, it must be because he hasn�t gotten over Ren, so he�s not ready to meet her yet. I�ll ask him again sometime!�

Renee chuckled and said, �You�re overthinking it. Isn�t it normal for a high- and-mighty CEO like him to refuse to eat with us ordinary folks Besides� our relationship is so awkward. It�s understandable that he would want to avoid me to avoid any misunderstanding with his current partner.� JrNovels.com