The Untouchable Ex Wife by Mizuki Sei

Chapter 1232
When Renee noticed that Stefan was about to leave, she quickly said with a smile, "My bad, go on. I won't doubt you again. I'll
believe whatever you say."
He might be arrogant, but he did have his principles. She knew he wouldn't falsely accuse others.
"Joanne fell out with Quinton because... she was pregnant with Quinton's child, but he forcefully aborted the child," Stefan said
softly after a while, revealing the dark secret that he had kept hidden for so long.
"Wh-What?" Renee was so shocked that her body started to tremble. She couldn't accept Stefan's words at all!
Stefan continued, "Before that, Quinton had killed her biological parents and brother, but she still hadn't given up hope on him...
until he killed her child. She went berserk and vowed to take revenge for her deceased child, and that's when she came to me
and told me about Carmine Pawnshop' weakness. She was the one who obtained a dagger and stabbed Quinton in the chest;
she wanted to take him down with her."
"No, that's impossible. Why would my brother..." Renee's mind went blank, and she was in a daze. For a moment, she couldn't
take in all this information. It all sounded like some odd folklore or myth, and try as she might, she could not link such a horrific
incident to her brother.
"I told you-ignorance is bliss if your mind isn't strong enough to handle the truth. Haven't you heard that curiosity killed the cat?"
For some reason, Stefan's heart ached when he saw her pale face. He got up to approach her and instinctively wanted to hug
her, but Renee retreated and stood far away from him.
"You... Don't touch me! 1-1 don't understand. Has everything been a lie? Why are people like this? I... I..." Renee gasped,
sounding hysterical.
"Calm down. If you can't take it, just forget what I said. I slandered him, just as the public said. Everyone sees me as a cruel and
cunning man now, and I'm a target of scorn. It doesn't really make much difference if you hate me too." Stefan didn't defend
himself so Joanne could keep that vulgar incident a secret.
Quinton had painted himself as a victim by manipulating public opinion, so he had managed to make everyone forget about the
Night Demon's bloodstained past. He had even gained a group of loyal fans. As a result, both Carmine Pawnshop and Azure
Group had become more popular, while Stefan had to suffer the consequences of being labelled the villain.

Renee took a deep breath and said to Stefan, "I'll look into it. If you're right, I'll ask Quinton to hold a press conference to expose
the truth and prove your innocence."
At that moment, she realized that Stefan, who always seemed so aloof and indifferent, actually had the kindest heart among
them. The kind of malice he was willingly facing was no joke. Although she wanted to make it up to Quinton, she felt it was only
fair to punish him if he really did commit such evils. Afterwards, she would help Quinton to return to the right path.
Stefan appeared unconcerned. "It doesn't matter if I'm innocent or not, just don't expose Joanne's whereabouts. If not, Joanne
will suffer given how stubborn and crazy Quinton is."
"Okay, got it. Thank you." Renee nodded slowly. Only now did she realize that Stefan just wanted to protect Joanne instead of
hurting her by taking her away without Renee's knowledge. Renee seemed to have a deeper understanding of Stefan now.