Shadows of Destiny: A Tale of Liberation

“That’s not right, Francine! Shouldn’t you be angry with your daughter-in-law for being so lazy?”

“I don’t see any reason to get angry,” said Francine in a considerate tone as she took a sip of her tea. “If the young

couple wants to sleep, then let them. It’s perfectly natural that they’re especially affectionate with each other. I

don’t see any problem in letting them roll around in bed for a while anyway.”

“But that’s nonsense!” one of Stefan’s aunts argued indignantly. “She’s a member of a respectable family now, and

she should learn to act like it! All of us who married into the Hunt family know this! We make sure that we’re

elegant, dignified, graceful, and courteous at all times—the basic qualities that the wife of an affluent man

should…”

“My daughter-in-law doesn’t need any of these qualities,” Francine interrupted. “All she needs to do is to spend the

rest of her life happily with my son.”

“You may be able to accept this, Francine, but what about Stefan? Can he endure having such a wife? The Stefan

that I remember is an austere and disciplined man. Never once in his whole life has he ever overslept! It seems that

this woman is a bad influence on him!”

“Well,” Francine shrugged helplessly, “what can I do? Stefan finally and painstakingly managed to pull his precious

wife back to him, so it’s only natural he pampers and indulges her. In fact, I’m sure he’d even oblige if she wanted

to sleep till dusk, let alone sleep a little longer than usual!”

Francine had just discovered that her son was an obliging husband who lived completely under his wife’s thumb. He

would do anything his wife wanted, getting it for her no matter what it was. If his wife had wanted the moon, she

was sure Stefan would leap into a spaceship immediately so he could bring the moon down to her.

In that case, what could a mother like her do but put her hands up and concede?

“Tsk tsk! I can’t believe that Stefan can be such a passionate lover! He simply spoils his wife rotten—what a lucky

woman!”

The women who had just been grumbling bitterly were now full of envy for Renee. How could they not be when

each of them, whether they were born or married into affluent families, had to live under strict rules? They had to

restrain and control themselves to make sure that they appeared dignified at all times. The kind of suffering they

endured was something that only those who had lived through it themselves would understand.

How they wished that they could live like Renee—doing whatever she wanted while her husband doted on her and

indulged her unconditionally! What a blissful life that would be…

In fact, the women were not the only ones who sighed in envy—even the men listened in disbelief at what had

become of Stefan.

“Alexander,” said Alan Hunt, Alexander’s cousin, “we’ve always thought that your son is a lot more rational and

level-headed than you are, but it appears he’s just as much of a hopeless romantic as you are! I bet he inherited

the gene from you! No one in Beach City spoils their wife as badly as you do!”

Once Alan started teasing Alexander like that, the other men began to join in as well.

“Although it’s a good thing that he’s so fond of his wife, men should focus more on their careers, and if Stefan

wants to do great things, he should spend less time on his wife and family. You should pull him aside and advise him

not to neglect his work just because of a woman!”

“Yeah, don’t they know what time it is? How are they still asleep? I hope he won’t be like emperors of the past,

causing the fall of a dynasty due to a disregard for proper governance and spending all their time frolicking with

their concubines.”

The men who spoke up were the more prominent members of the Hunt family, who also held a significant

percentage of shares in H Group. They were concerned that Stefan might get so lovesick that his performance as

the CEO of H Group might be jeopardized, thus affecting H Group’s operations.

“I heard that Stefan hasn’t been to the company for a whole week now. I certainly hope he’s not so bewitched by

his wife that he’s cooped up with her every day, completely forgetting his work.”

Alan Hunt looked in the direction of the staircase and said, “He might’ve been able to eliminate the opposition from

the company last time by faking his death, but my brother and his people are all still alive and kicking. Who knows

what they’ll come up with next…”

“Enough!” Old Mr. Hunt interrupted. “Have all of you forgotten that I’m still here? Better stay quiet if you have

nothing nice to say!”

He turned pointedly to Alan Hunt and, in a quietly powerful and intimidating voice, told him, “Isn’t it a good thing

when a man loves his wife? This proves he is made of flesh and blood and that he has feelings and empathy. Why

should you be worried if such a man is leading the company?”

Alan lowered his head and meekly replied, “Don’t be angry, Uncle Timothy. It’s not that we don’t trust Stefan’s

capabilities. It’s just that… My brother and his family are incredibly crafty and cruel. Don’t you remember how that

rascal Jovan almost succeeded in seizing power in the company?”

The brother that Alan Hunt was referring to was Arthur Hunt, his older brother, and father of Jovan Hunt. Although

they were siblings, there was no love lost between him and Arthur, owing to the fact that both Arthur and his son

Jovan were ruthless and treacherous. Instead, Alan had a much closer relationship with his cousin Alexander Hunt.

Just as Alan was still talking about his brother, Arthur’s recognizable boisterous laughter was heard approaching

from the entrance.

“Ah, Alexander! Francine! Congratulations! Congratulations!”