When the old woman noticed Renee's sympathetic gaze, a kind smile dawned on her wrinkled face. "Miss, you don't have to pity me. I feel quite blessed to have been able to live until this age. The truly pitiful people are the ones who died young..." A long sigh escaped the old woman. "My Garcia Village has always had bad luck. Many unfortunate things happened, and those kids are the pitiful ones!""What happened?" Renee asked curiously."It's a long story. Come in, it's dark outside and you all should get some rest." The old woman enthusiastically invited them into her house."Thank you." Renee thanked the old woman and followed her into the house.Jeffrey wanted to follow suit, but Daisy grabbed his arm, her face pale. "Don't go, Jeff! The house is so dark and scary, and that old woman... We don't know who or what she is. We'd better not go in." There were many horrible legends about Garcia Village, and the worst was the one about the sea witch who took revenge on the whole villa
When the old woman went to get them water, Jeffrey turned to Renee worriedly. He had seen all kinds of dangerous animals in the sea like sharks and sea snakes, but he had never been as frightened as he was now. "Relax, I think she's a nice person. She's just poor, so this place looks a little primitive, but it's safer here." Renee tried to console the two teenagers, but wasn't so sure herself. She believed that the old woman meant no harm, but the house was very strange. She kept feeling like a ghost might emerge from one of the rooms at any moment.The old woman carried a pot of water and a few cups into the hall. "I'm sorry, nobody's visited me in years, so it took me a while to find some cups. I'm sure you all are thirsty—have some water." The old woman poured water for them, looking happy to have guests.Renee took the cup of water and hesitated briefly before boldly downing the whole cup. However, Jeffrey and Daisy were more cautious, and didn't drink it because they were worr
"George..." The old woman trailed off gloomily, her gaze unreadable as she recalled the past. "He was a famous and powerful figure in Garcia Village back then. Everyone avoided him.""What do you mean?" Renee urged."It's not what you think. He was unreasonable and very nasty…" The elderly woman's tone became angry. "He was a tyrant in our village, and he bullied almost all the families here. He would either take other people's things away and even beat them up.""Was he really that arrogant?" Renee frowned. "Such a person should have been in jail.""If we could, we would have done it ages ago, but he had connections. He would be released after being locked up for a few days every time the villagers called the cops, then he would take revenge on the person who reported him. So... nobody dared to say anything."Jeffrey frowned. "I heard about his family when I was young because my village is only nearby. Mom always told me not to sail my boat too far while fishing in case I acciden
Renee knew that Quinton had suffered a lot, but she had no idea that it was that bad. They were both siblings, but while Renee's parents doted on her and loved her greatly, Quinton had gone through hell."Yes, George was despicable, and his family got their karma..." The old woman hesitated, then continued softly, "His family members were all wicked except for his youngest daughter. We called her Joanne, and she was a nice girl who always took care of her foster brother. Unfortunately, George's eldest son tried to take advantage of the girl, even though he was her biological brother, and then... a sudden fire burned down their house. All of them ended up dead! Honestly, most of George's family were better off dead, but Joanne and the adopted child didn't deserve such a fate. They were very kind, but their lives were ruined."Daisy listened to the old woman attentively, then chimed in, "But it seems like that girl had been possessed by the sea witch, and purposely seduced her biologic
Renee also agreed with the old woman—the couple seemed quite strange. If she had the chance, she wanted to meet them, but the old woman didn't know much about them and didn't remember much since they had come to Garcia Village ages ago.Renee's mind was troubled the whole night at the old woman's house. She didn't wake Jeffrey and Daisy up the next morning, and decided to wander around the island to see if she could find clues instead. She soon found a house that matched the old woman's description of George's house… but it was nothing but ruins. All that was left were ashes and burned items, and after many years of wind and rain, even those had practically disappeared into the ground. There was no trace of anyone ever living there. However, that area was the best in the village—it faced the vast sea and the soil was rich, making it ideal for both fishing and farming. Renee imagined her brother living there many years ago, and uneasiness gripped her when she imagined the suffering he
To Renee's shock, the person she had been yearning for day and night had appeared in front of her. She could scarcely believe it."Hold me tight," the man whispered as he lowered his head to look into Renee's eyes. They were still at the edge of the cliff and had yet to swim out of the rip current. If they let their guard down, they would die at sea."I will! I have to hold on to you because I have so much to say to you. I… Ack!" Renee choked, too excited to talk to Stefan. She couldn't tell if she was dreaming, so she just tried her best to hold on to him. However, the current was strong, and Renee's grip started to loosen. She couldn't hold on any longer, and eventually blacked out.When she woke up, she found herself lying in a hospital bed, a vast expanse of whiteness above her."Renee! You're finally awake!" Jeffrey jumped in his seat, almost in tears."Where am I?" Renee's head was aching, but she forced herself to sit up and look around. She remembered being stuck in surgin
Then, before Jeffrey could stop her, Renee dashed out of the ward. Jeffrey couldn't catch up with her, and watched her run off nervously.When Renee reached the corner of the stairs, she suddenly saw a tall figure in familiar clothes. He looked just like Stefan."Stefan!" Renee screamed and rushed over to the man, grabbing his clothes firmly. "I've caught you! You can't run away now..." She gripped his clothes, then hugged his waist. "I knew you were still alive!""Umm..." The person Renee was hugging recovered from their shock, then mumbled awkwardly, "Sorry to disappoint, but it's just me." Renee's jaw dropped, and she looked up at the man in anger. "Haze, are you out of your mind? Why are you wearing Stefan's clothes?" The person she had grabbed was not Stefan or Jovan, but Justin. She had thought he was Stefan because Justin was wearing a casual jacket that Stefan had once worn. Renee remembered that jacket because Stefan always wore formal clothes, and it was a rare occasion
Justin smiled, but his gaze was menacing. "Phoenix, your charms really are boundless. You managed to turn a hothead into a loyal dog!" They were both men, and although they were around ten years apart, Justin could tell that Jeffrey had feelings for Renee. He felt jealous, but also marveled at Renee's charms—he had such a diverse group of competitors! Not only did he have to compete against an exceptional man like Stefan, but he also had to fight against a youth like Jeffrey… How exhausting!"Cut the crap! Jeffrey is just a boy," Renee growled weakly from where she lay in bed. Justin was so weird, thinking that way about a boy. What a scoundrel! Renee wished he hadn't been the one to find her.Jeffrey's face flushed in embarrassment, and he mumbled awkwardly, "Ah, so you both know each other. Umm... I'll give you both some privacy then." Hurriedly, he left the ward. He knew that Renee was way out of his league, so even spending these few days with her felt like winning the lottery. T
There were various kinds of torture instruments hanging around the cage. There was even a saw that would function with just a pull.Upon closer inspection, Renee noticed bloodstains on the instruments. The corners were full of piles of human hair. There was also a rotten and damp scent lingering around."What… What kind of place is this?" Leia screamed.She stood at the door of the cage and swallowed in fright, now timid. She found that place very familiar. After some contemplation, she realized it was something related to what she had seen before in the deep web.The so-called deep web was more horrible than the dark web. Only ten percent of netizens could find the websites. These websites weren't under supervision, and were full of outrageous videos and business deals.For example, the sellers would buy beautiful models to make vulgar videos of for the buyers' viewing. The buyers would make outrageous requests based on their insane desires. They would spend some money for the se
Though the building looked ordinary and old, it was filled with many things.However, it was not very accurate. The place resembled thematic scenes more.The first floor was an ordinary office area. The second floor looked like a hotel, while the third floor looked like classrooms… The themes for each place were centered around obscenity.Renee wasn't dumb. She instantly understood why Lucas brought her and Leia there by force. She also finally understood why Lucas prohibited his subordinate from touching Leia's face even though she had been rude to him. If she guessed right, these bastards wanted her and Leia to shoot pornos. "Do you like these scenes, my friends?" Lucas was smoking, in a great mood to see the film and television site he had established. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Renee and Leia. "Other than wire fraud and online casinos, the thing that makes most money is the limited and short videos. You girls are so pretty. Just work with me and shoot some R-rated
The motorbikes raced the narrow streets noisily, passing through crowds and messy alleyways. After a winding journey, they got on the large roads and drove toward a growingly remote and unknown place.At last, they stopped in front of a large iron gate with guards and two large German Shepherds. There were a few large words above the iron gate that spelled Gold Investment. As Renee and Leia walked inside, they saw a large park, like a factory. Both of them exchanged a look of deep helplessness. They had bumped into something terrible. If they guessed it right, Lucas and his gang were involved in wire fraud. They had been brought to Lucas' scamming site.Men in uniforms happened to walk toward the cafeteria to get food under the supervision of guards. Their faces or bodies were full of new or old injuries. They looked numb and dispirited, as if they had lost all hope in life.Both Renee and Leia exchanged another look. They could confirm they were brought to an infamous scamming
Lucas' lackey brought out a dagger. He pulled Leia, and pushed the dagger against her neck.Lucas stared at Renee, and sneered, "I hope you and your friend can behave. We're from the same country. We can get along, can't we?" "Ren, ignore me! Just get them! I'm sure they can't kill me in front of everyone!" Leia shouted.She was fearless and tried all means to resist, but the man was rather fierce. He pinned her wrists behind her while pushing the dagger against her neck.As Leia wasn't standing still, the blade scratched her neck and caused it to bleed.Renee could only unclench her fists, and asked Lucas coldly, "What do you want?" "Don't be scared. We mean you no harm. We like you girls because we're from the same country. We'd like to invite you to my place as guests," Lucas mouthed off insufferably as he touched his chin. His face was swollen from being punched. "Let my friend go now!" Renee ordered Lucas. She could easily handle those bastards alone, but she was too tim
"I need to congratulate you, since you'll get another person who can teach you how to be a human being aside from Draco from today onward." Renee glared at Lucas angrily, her tone icy."Who? You? Just you?" Lucas held his belly and burst into laughter. "That's hilarious! How could you? You—"The next second, Renee interrupted him and punched him. His head tilted to the side, and his teeth were knocked out and fell off. Renee grabbed his hair and demanded icily, "What about now? Where are our phones?""You… You…" Lucas' cheek was swollen. He couldn't move at all, and waved for his lackeys to act.They jumped off their motorbikes and waved their steel pipes and knives, about to attack Renee."Ren, be careful!" While resisting, Leia reminded Renee to be careful. Renee remained composed as she kept her grip on Lucas' hair. She used him as a shield as she kicked and punched the other men, defeating them with ease.She suffered no injury while attacking others as Lucas had to endur
Renee and Leia crossed the sidewalk and walked toward the bus stop some distance away from them. Before they could enter the bus stop, however, the tanned man who approached them at the airport just now stopped in front of them on a motorbike.Behind him were six or seven men, also on a motorbike, looking fierce and dangerous. "Hey, gorgeous. Didn't you say your friend was coming to get you? Why are you catching a ride here? Listen, I own the buses here. Just tell me where you're going. I'll give you a free ride!"When Leia saw him, she could no longer hold herself back. She rushed forward and grabbed his collar. "You have the nerve to stop us! Give us back our cell phones, or you'll be sorry!" "Cell phones? What do you mean? I don't understand what you're talking about." The man smiled slyly as he held Leia's hand. "What's wrong? Did you lose your phone, gorgeous? Tell me what it looks like. I've got quite a lot of connections. I'll get it back for you quick.""You're asking
Under such circumstances, the best solution was to quickly get away from that man.Both Renee and Leia took the escalator and walked a long way before they finally exited the airport. Only then did Renee breathe a sigh of relief. She said to Leia, "Okay, call Liam. Ask him to get someone to pick us up."They kept their trip to Goldshire a secret from Liam, as he didn't want Leia to attend the wedding with the excuse that the city came with a complicated environment. It would be easy for her to run into bad guys. Giving him her blessings was enough. At first, Leia hesitated to come, but after planning it out with Renee, she became bolder. She felt that it was fine since she was just there to attend a wedding.Unfortunately, they ran into an annoying sleazebag at the airport. It was a real bummer."Okay." Leia nodded. "I know this place would be chaotic, but I didn't expect it to be this serious! What the hell was that? I have to ask Liam to get someone here quickly. If not, thos
A week later, Renee and Leia flew to Goldshire without anyone's knowledge.Goldshire was a primitive, old, remote city full of speeding motorbikes and leering men. Beautiful Aeos women like Renee and Leia were very eye-catching there. It was easy to predict the kind of obstacles they would face. A slim, tanned man in an old-fashioned T-shirt blocked them casually while smoking. "Hey gorgeous, are you here for a trip or business? I'm a local. I can accompany you!" At that time, both Renee and Leia had just gotten off the plane. They were waiting for their luggage at the baggage carousel. The other passengers who rode in the same plane were either men, families, or foreigners. Renee and Leia were the best candidates to accost. "No, thank you. I've been here before, and I'm quite familiar with this place." Renee waved, not wanting to have much to do with the man. Although she was good at fighting, it was hard to fight a local tyrant. She wouldn't make a big scene if she could hel
"Don't worry, I'm not unhappy. Maybe I wasn't sensible or prudent enough, but my feelings for Liam are honorable. I see him as my younger brother. Since my brother is going to get married, of course I'll happily give him my blessings." Renee was feeling quite helpless because she had no idea how she should explain herself."I see…" Leia looked disappointed. "If Liam hears this, I guess he'll be disappointed and unhappy.""Then he shouldn't get married," Renee said, hitting the nail on the head."He'll still feel that way. You can't be easily replaced. Maybe no one will ever replace you for him. As his sister, I'm sure of it," Leia said. She didn't blame Renee, but she found it unacceptable for her loyal brother.On second thought, nothing could be done. The relationships in the world were closely linked together. It was hard to find two people who were mutually in love with each other. There was no fairness. Besides, no one could change that just by working hard. It depended