# Chapter 71: A Knife at the Throat – and a Desperate Bargain
Hello everyone, it’s me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 71 of "The Untouchable Ex Wife". This chapter is a deliciously tense showdown — a captive who shouldn’t be so calm, and a woman pushed to the edge by family loyalty. Prepare for a scene that crackles with danger, dark humor, and a promise that will echo painfully years later. Let’s dive in.
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Stefan sat there, wrists bound by his own silk necktie, a blade glinting dangerously near his skin — and yet, his lips curled into a vague, almost amused smile. He looked at Renee as if she were entertaining him, not threatening him. "Are you going to kill me if I refuse to tell you?" he asked, his voice light, fearless despite the knife trembling with barely contained rage in her hand.
Renee’s eyes burned with a ferocity that left no room for doubt. "I won’t kill you—but I’ll skin you and watch you bleed! You’d wish you were dead... unless you return my brother!"
Her words were not empty threats. Quinton was her flesh and blood, the continuation of her parents’ bloodline. She would never, ever allow anyone to harm him. Not even him. Not even Stefan.
But Stefan, ever the observer, tilted his head. He seemed to study her, not with fear, but with curiosity — as though her anger was a fascinating puzzle. "You seem more agitated," he pointed out, still unfazed. "Does that mean your brother is more important to you than your own partner?"
"Yes!" Renee admitted without hesitation, her voice ringing with conviction. "Family is more important than anything. If you lay a finger on him, I won’t hesitate to kill you."
A subtle shift crossed Stefan’s expression. He pressed further, his tone deceptively calm. "What if your brother hurts the love of your life?"
Renee frowned, the question catching her off guard. But she answered with a cool glare, her chin lifted in defiance: "If that does happen, I will die with my beloved, and let my brother live!"
She had no idea, not in this moment, how prophetic those words would become. Years down the line, that choice — that impossible, heart-wrenching bargain — would return to haunt her in ways she couldn’t yet imagine.
Stefan, however, did not flinch. He explained with cold rationality: "Quinton is being punished for his own misdeeds. He challenged us by destroying our merchandise—our retaliation is just, if only to make him understand that some rules are not meant to be broken."
Renee’s jaw tightened. She knew her brother was reckless, impatient, and dangerously bold. Over the last couple of years, Quinton had repeatedly sabotaged H Group’s business operations — stealing food from a lion’s mouth, really. It was practically suicidal, and now the consequences had caught up to him. She could see why Stefan held the moral high ground, even as she held a knife to his neck and kept him tied up like a captive beast.
"I can admit that his methods can be radical," she said, forcing herself to sound reasonable. "I will compensate you for any losses you’ve sustained. We can talk about this, as long as you agree to release him..."
To her, money was always the solution. Problems that could be solved with cash weren’t problems at all. Surely Stefan would see reason?
But Stefan only sneered, jerking his chin toward his restrained wrists. "Really? We can talk about this? Is this how we're going to do it?"
Renee felt a flicker of embarrassment, but she refused to back down. "Well. I didn't want to tie you up, but you were getting frisky. Who knows what would happen if I didn't restrain you?" she retorted with righteous indignation.
She paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Then, with surprising gentleness, she reached out and gingerly touched his hair — a soft, almost intimate gesture that contrasted starkly with the knife in her other hand. "Be good now—I'll free you, but the condition is that you have to release my brother. Okay?"
"Free me, and I'll think about it," Stefan replied, his voice maddeningly vague.
"No, you have to say yes!"
"You have to free me for me to make the call."
Renee’s eyes lit up. Wait — was he actually agreeing? The stubborn, iron-willed Stefan was giving in? A wave of hope washed over her. "Is that a yes?" she asked, surprised and cautiously thrilled.
"A gentleman's word is golden," she warned, brandishing the knife once more. "Don't go back on it! I've tied you up once, and I can certainly do it again."
"Cut the crap and free me already!" Stefan snapped, his patience finally snapping. The man had never suffered so much humiliation in his entire life — tied up by his own tie, threatened by a woman who looked at him like he was both enemy and bargaining chip. And yet, beneath his irritation, something else flickered: a strange respect, and perhaps, a seed of something deeper.
This was only the beginning. And neither of them knew that their confrontation would set the stage for a future far more painful — and far more personal — than either could foresee.
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**Reader's Impressions & Star Rating**
Oh, this chapter was a whirlwind of delicious tension! Renee is fierce, loyal, and utterly reckless — holding a knife to Stefan’s neck while demanding mercy for her brother. You can feel her desperation, while Stefan remains unnervingly cool, even in captivity. I loved the underlying humor in their power struggle, and that haunting line about dying with her beloved hits so much harder when you know the tragedy waiting in the future. The writing keeps you hooked, and the emotional stakes are sky-high. I’m torn between cheering for Renee and feeling sorry for the mess she’s stepping into. Truly a gripping chapter.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
**Next Chapter Prediction**
Now that Stefan has been freed, he’ll likely use his characteristic cunning to turn the tables on Renee. But I predict that Quinton’s release won’t come without a heavy price — perhaps Stefan will toy with Renee emotionally, or even use this opportunity to test her loyalty and see just how far she’s willing to go for family versus love. There may be a cold, calculated manipulation lurking behind his “gentleman’s word,” and Renee might soon find herself trapped in a game she doesn’t yet understand.
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