Renee took the coconut from Jeffrey and sipped the coconut water, and the refreshing, sweet taste was like rain in the desert. She looked up and saw the sunrise lighting up the vast sea, and felt a happiness she hadn't in a long time. It was little things like this that brought color to people's lives, and at that moment, Renee finally felt her stress melt away.Jeffrey brought Renee to his house, which was a typical two-storey house. It was built near the sea and had been renovated two years ago. There were various kinds of flowers growing in the yard. "Renee, we managed to renovate the house last year because of your support. Dad and Mom made a room for you to thank you... I'll take you there," Jeffrey enthusiastically explained.Feeling touched, Renee went upstairs with him. There was a large room facing the sea on the second floor with many shells and beads hanging on the door, and it looked like an urban style from the 1980s or 1990s. Ava and her family had painstakingly decorat
Renee sat in the egg hammock in front of the window and watched the world gradually brighten. Surprisingly, she felt sleepy, which was a feeling that had evaded her for a long time. Soon, her eyelids slowly closed and she fell into a deep sleep."Renee! Renee!" After some time, Renee heard Jeffrey's voice. She opened her eyes and saw him standing before her, holding a tray with a grand seafood feast on it.Renee woke up and stretched, feeling relaxed. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. "Wow, it smells so good. Did you make this?" Renee looked at the delicious spread. "Yeah, they're not too hard to make. I don't know whether you'll like it or not…" Jeffrey pointed at a bowl of steaming porridge. "Eat this seafood porridge while it's hot. I added in a lot of nutritious ingredients which are good for your health." He had noticed Renee's pale and sallow face, so he had made her their village's secret seafood porridge to help her get back her energy,"Okay, thank you." Renee too
"What's the matter, Renee?" Jeffrey had never heard Renee curse before.However, Renee ignored him as she peered at her phone screen closely. She was pretty sure that she had seen Stefan like her post just now, maybe out of accident or for some other reason. However, it had only lasted for a second before he canceled it. Hope burned in her, and she suddenly felt alive again. That meant that Stefan was still alive, and he'd been watching her. After calming herself down, she texted Stefan.[Where are you? I saw you liked my post. Can't you say it to my face? Stop hiding like a tortoise!]A few minutes went by, but there was no response. [I'm very grateful to you for everything you've done for me. I know the disgusting things you did behind my back too, but it isn't important. I just want you to come back and explain everything to me, okay? We love each other. Are you trying to drive me mad? I can date someone else too as long as you make it clear to me. I'll leave and won't trouble
"Well, there's no point in trying to force him out to give you an answer. You should use some tricks to lure him out instead." Jeffrey racked his brain to come up with ways for Renee because he did not want to see her sad. "What kind of tricks?" Renee looked up at him. She always felt that she was an amateur in romance. She didn't know how to flirt or seduce someone—she was usually just straightforward and honest… which was probably why she always ended up hurt and disappointed. After so many years, Stefan was the only man she had loved. All her other experiences were failures. "In relationships, exclusivity is always a must. Everyone wants to be the one and only for their partner, and if there's a third person in the relationship, things will get messy. Anyone who gets cheated on will surely go mad and do irrational things," Jeffrey said slowly. It was the kind of romance he understood at his age. "So?" Renee asked, still baffled. She had to admit that she was a fool in romance.
Without any warning, Renee kissed Jeffrey, then raised her phone and snapped a photo of them. Speechless, Jeffrey blushed a bright red.After taking the photo, Renee patted his cheek. "I'm sorry, dude. It was a rather impulsive decision. I didn't scare you, right? I'll buy some candies for you later.""What... are you guys doing?" A trembling voice came from the door. Renee turned around and saw a young woman with a round face staring at them in disbelief. "Daisy, when did you come? Why didn't you knock?" Jeffrey looked at the young woman in displeasure. This was such a special moment for him, and all he wanted was to be alone with Renee. Having another person around ruined the atmosphere. Daisy Lewis was gaping in shock, and she glared at Renee viciously. "Who are you, you wicked woman? What are you doing at Jeffrey's house? You... You even did such a perverted thing with Jeff! You'll get pregnant. I'm going to tell Mrs. Joyner!" "Pregnant?" Renee was amused by Daisy's words
Daisy squinted at Renee and asked suspiciously, "You don't like Jeff?""No, I do!" Renee admitted honestly.Jeffrey's eyes lit up, and he blushed even more.Daisy stamped her feet. "Are you messing with me? You just said that you didn't feel that way about Jeff!""There are many different ways of liking someone. Of course, I like an obedient young man like Jeffrey, but it's more of a sisterly affection. It's not how a woman would like a man," Renee explained with a smile. Daisy calmed down, but Jeffrey looked crestfallen."Okay, I need to rest. Can you both go out and play somewhere?" Renee massaged her temples, wanting them both to leave. In her opinion, they were just kids, and their idea of romance was quite funny. It would be ridiculous if she kept arguing with them on it. "Okay, Renee. Rest well, and call me if you need anything." Although Jeffrey looked gloomy, he still put Renee's well-being above everything else, and dragged Daisy out of the room. A long sigh escaped
"As you said, it's just a rumor. I'm sure the elders just said it to scare people. Only fools like you would believe it," Jeffrey scoffed. He had heard of that rumor, but didn't believe it. For the past ten years, the villagers had told stories of a sea witch that lived in the depths of the sea and survived by sucking the blood of men. Many fishermen had apparently been harmed by the sea witch. Usually, the men would end up dead, but sometimes, the sea witch would bewitch the whole family and make them kill each other. The sea witch would go to different places along the shore every year, and this year, her place was supposedly Joyner Village."My mom said the sea witch looks pretty, and they'll always pick the strongest and most handsome man in the village to be their victim. Jeff, in our village, that's you! If she comes to our village, she'll start with you." Daisy clenched her fists and stared at Renee's room on the second floor, full of hostility. "I think she's the reincarnati
Huffing, Jeffrey went back to his house. "She's just in love and angered by some jerk. She'll come back around in a few days and everything will be back to normal again." Then, ignoring everything that Daisy had said, he closed the door firmly. After a while, Ava came back. "Jeffrey, where's Ren? Did you cook her nice food and spend some time with her?" Ava had been concerned about Renee. After putting away the fishing net, she hurried home to welcome her family's benefactor. "I cooked her some food, and she's resting now. Mom, don't disturb her." Jeffrey hurriedly stopped Ava just as she was about to go upstairs."Oh, she's resting..." Ava heaved a sigh. "She must be upset over something since she went to the beach alone in the middle of the night. She even locked herself up in broad daylight, and doesn't look energetic at all. How pitiful!"Jeffrey's doubts grew when he heard that. Renee went out at night instead of the day, and looked frail and distant... It really did seem li
Renee interrupted Leia for fear that the latter's words might drive Macsen up the wall.Macsen's intense reaction proved that he wasn't lying. Stefan had probably done something outrageous to his girlfriend.However, there might be some hidden clues in that incident. Given Renee's understanding of Stefan, he wasn't so ruthless even though he was abominable."No, she's right." Macsen took a deep breath and sneered. "I should make myself clear. If not, you'd never know how wicked someone could be… When I found my girlfriend, she was naked and had all kinds of bruises. She cried and told me that Stefan had assaulted her for several days and nights. In the end, she jumped off a building and died in front of me because of the utter humiliation!""What?!" At that point, Leia expressed her disbelief. "That can't be! There must be some misunderstanding! Stefan's a scumbag, but he's not a skirt-chaser or a deviant. That kind of thing would never have happened. Given his identity and sta
"Oh?" Macsen looked at Renee, interested. "Is there a way to cause him pain? Well then, I'm all ears."Renee looked at herself and Leia, then said, "I can tell you, but you need to let us go first. At least, let my friend go."Macsen grew cold, and snorted, "Hmph! You can't negotiate terms with me. I think killing you both is enough to cause him pain. Men, do it!""No!"Renee found Macsen's emotions to be very unsteady—he would turn hostile at any minute. Hence, she said patiently, "Okay, I won't ask you to let us go since you don't want to. At least tell us what terrible things Stefan has done that made you hate him so much. Maybe I'll pity you once you tell me. Then, I'll help you take revenge on him.""Don't take me as a fool. You, help me take revenge on him?" Macsen glared at Renee. Macsen wasn't so foolish to believe that a woman deeply in love with Stefan would betray him and work with his enemy to target him.Then again, it would cause Stefan greater pain if his beloved
At that point, Leia leaned backward and laughed heartily. Renee listened to the conversation and shook her head helplessly. They were doomed, alright.Their enemy wanted them dead later, but here Leia was, insulting and rebuking him fiercely. He would probably kill them on the spot.Just as Renee had expected, Macsen said nothing more. Instead, he waved and instructed his subordinate, "Do it now. I can't wait any longer.""Okay, boss." Macsen's subordinate nodded respectfully and glanced at the rest of the guards. They approached Renee and Leia with two sandbags and ropes. "W-What are you doing?" Leia swallowed, terrified at the sight of the sandbags and ropes. Masen sneered and said fiercely, "Didn't you say I'm a coward? I'll show you what a coward I am."The guards bound Renee and Leia tightly and secured the heavy sandbags around their ankles.Macsen's subordinate looked at Renee and Leia, now tightly bound, and asked him carefully, "Boss, it's done. Do we just push t
The man was stunned, then laughed heartily. "No wonder you're Stefan's most beloved woman! You're smart.""Huh? He's Macsen? How can you tell?" Leia looked at the man with confusion, her eyes widening. She never took this man as the amazing figure Liam had talked about."In the whole fort, other than Benjamin, the master, no one could offend Liam and snatch the hostages away from Mateo except for you, the one with an army. Plus, I hurt your dearest son. It's not hard to guess your identity," Renee said, her logic sound. "What a logical analysis! You think fast. I admire you for that." Macsen clapped, giving Renee an admiring look. The next moment, he turned cold. "Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. I took you here to settle the grudge between us." "It's fine if you want to take revenge on me, but you have to let my friend go." Renee stood in front of Leia, meeting Macsen's gaze boldly. "This incident has nothing to do with her. Don't hurt her.""No." Macsen s
"Divorced?" The man was surprised at first, but soon remained calm. He snorted, "That's not a big deal. We can't judge the love a man holds for a woman through marriage. Many men ignore their wives and are madly in love with their lovers. I'm sure Renee is the woman Stefan loves the most.""I'm telling you, he doesn't love her!" Leia insisted.She sighed. Filled with indignation, she added, "He divorced my friend for his mistress. Based on your words, his mistress should be the one he loves best. If not, he wouldn't divorce my friend and watch her date another man. Do you think a man would behave like that if he loved her?""Is that so?" The man narrowed his eyes, trying to ascertain the authenticity of Leia's words. If Stefan divorced Renee for his mistress, then from the perspective of a man, that meant he did have a change of heart. Renee was no longer the woman he loved the most.Then again, based on the information the man had found, Stefan was madly in love with Renee. He r
The man observed Renee carefully, his gaze complicated and unreadable. He remained silent for quite a long time. Terrified by his stare, Renee wrapped her clothes tighter around herself. "If I've offended you in the past, I'll apologize to you here. Tell me how I've offended you. I think we can figure out a solution. I'm sure I can do it.""A solution?" the man snorted, his lips a sneer. "Do you think the dead can come back to life? If you think that's possible, we can figure out a solution.""Does our grudge involve the dead?" Renee asked.No matter how much she racked her brains, she couldn't for the life of her figure out when she had met this man. She recalled accepting a mission when she was young and reckless, when she needed to kill a drug lord in Southeast Aeos.As an internationally top-ranked assassin, she hated murder the most. That, and she rarely got involved in such missions. If her younger self had willingly accepted that kind of mission, however, then her enemy
Leia swallowed and leaned close to Renee.She was as confused as Renee and wondered why they would get into so much trouble when she just wanted to visit Liam. Yet, everyone in the fort was out to get her and Renee killed. It felt like a dangerous adventure—there wasn't a single moment of respite!"I don't know, either," Renee said, "but I'm guessing it has something to do with the past and the recent events. They've long held a grudge against us."When Renee was trying to earn her living, she offended quite a lot of people since she was young and bold. Their enemies right now loomed over them aggressively, as if harboring intense hatred against them. Perhaps it was a long-held grudge. Renee couldn't imagine anything else."What should we do?" Leia asked softly.Since they were kidnapped and surrounded by armed guards, they were at their enemies' mercy. They had no idea the direction they came from. "I don't know. Let's act accordingly," Renee said, sighing.She had lost all
Mateo frowned, thinking.After a long time, he said meaningfully, "In this fort, there's only one person who dares to fight against you and me and makes Master step forward.""Could it be…" Liam became enlightened and abruptly stood up. "Things are getting troublesome. I must find them right away!""I'll go with you." Mateo jumped out of bed and put on his clothes.Liam looked at him in confusion and snapped coldly, "Stop meddling! Are you plotting something?" He had no trust in Mateo and doubted everything Mateo did. "Plotting what? Of course I want to get them back safe and sound with you!" Mateo wiped away his cold sweat and said emotionally, "I don't want to be accused wrongly before I get anything good out of it. Both tycoons will find fault with me!"Mateo had a restless sleep the night he learned that Stefan and Xavier protected Renee and Leia. He felt that he had unknowingly got into deep trouble, and thought hard how he could resolve it.Since he had the chance to f
Liam didn't purposely want to make things difficult for Mateo, but the whole conflict was directly linked to him. What's more, Leia and Renee were gone. Liam had no idea who to go to other than Mateo. "Didn't I make myself clear? If I told Benjamin about this, I'd get nothing out of it. I have yet to reach a consensus with you. I don't have to get rid of my backup plan so eagerly."Mateo felt helpless; he was no longer vigilant toward Liam, and instead shot Liam a disdainful gaze. "Aren't you always smart? Why are you acting like a fool now? You look lost. Just stop pestering me.""Does it really have nothing to do with you?" Liam narrowed his eyes and observed Mateo's expression, wondering the authenticity of the latter's words."I just caught them. Don't you know where they are? As long as we reach an agreement, I can let them go," Mateo said, giving Liam a hint.After having a meal with Liam that night, Mateo regretted his actions. Renee and Leia came with great supporters, so