Rebecca stiffened and paled once she heard David's words. She couldn't fathom how he knew what she had been doing.Yet, David stood in front of her before she could react. "You may take me for a fool, Ms. Johnson, but have you considered that I'm not blind?"Rebecca bit her lip. Hellfire burned in her eyes as she thought, "He's not blind. It's more like his eyes are on the back of his head!" She had deliberately bumped against trees and stumbled several times. Although it was because the mountain terrain was challenging to walk on, the other reason for her clumsy movement was to leave behind her trail. Little did she know David, who led the group without turning his head to look at her once, would notice her plan.Rebecca was drenched in rainwater. Her wet hair shrouded her face while her wild eyes peered from beneath it at David, awaiting his next move. She was determined to chop off a piece of his skin if he dared harm her."Why are you so nervous? I never said you did anythi
Rebecca's throat hurt, but the bitterness in her chest made her cuss the living daylights out of David. Even after cursing him, she still didn't feel relieved of her rage. So, Rebecca swung her leg at him without caring where her kicks landed.David wasn't someone who would let others kick him. He instantly snapped to his senses, frowned, and pinned down her kicking feet. "Are you that obsessed with kicking me?""Duh! I can't stand a lunatic like you. I wish I could kick you until you're immobile!" Rebecca was so absorbed in that thought that what happened next stunned her. She slapped David.David was equally as surprised. A red handprint formed on his handsome face while disbelief flickered in his widened eyes.Even so, Rebecca didn't fear the consequences. Her arm boldly swung toward David as he glared daggers at her. This time, David was prepared and grabbed her wrist once she raised it. "You really aren't afraid of death, huh?" Rebecca gritted her teeth while refusing to
David recounted his past to Rebecca as if he were talking to an old friend. Although he spoke calmly, Rebecca knew how difficult it must've been to say, "I survived." After all, she had survived many threatening hurdles in life, too.Rebecca had a rare, peaceful moment as she rested on David's shoulder. Even so, she couldn't ignore the thought that plagued her mind. So, she forced herself to ask him to clarify things.Her voice was hoarse as she struggled to speak. "Mr. Winston, why would you do this if you understand the struggles of surviving? You kept ambushing me abroad. Even now, I must tolerate your horrid behavior. You may be displeased with Daniel, but why can't you sit down and talk things out with him?"She didn't understand why brothers couldn't civilly solve things. Plus, she felt David shouldn't have messed with her life even if he didn't know her. What was the point of hurling fatal attacks at her all the time?"Ms. Johnson." David chuckled, stopped walking, and place
Rebecca listened to David's unhurried explanation. Her tenseness eased as she observed the barren, natural scenery. A sliver of light peeked out among the grey clouds. It pierced past the dark clouds and shined onto the lake, causing a brilliant red light to reflect off the water.The dark clouds soon blocked the light again. Yet, the morning mist shrouding over them dispelled.Rebecca calmly spoke as she looked up at David. "Mr. Winston, could you move me to the side a little? I want to see the lake better, but the pine tree ahead is blocking me."David turned to look at her in surprise. "Aren't you cheery? I can't believe you have the heart to admire the scenery even at this point."Although David said he wasn't planning to spare her, he didn't plan to make things difficult for her. So, he bent down, picked Rebecca up, and moved her to a spot with a better view."The view is better from here, but you shouldn't move too much. There aren't any trees in front, so nothing will stop
"Rebecca has nothing to do with the grievances in our family, David. You can come after me if you're unhappy with anything. Why involve an innocent?" Daniel's eyes widened when he saw the dagger against Rebecca's neck. He stepped up without a second thought and tried to stop David. While focusing on the dagger with panic, he urged, "What do you want? Or do you have any requests? Feel free to state your demands. Just let Becca go!""How touching." David lowered his head until his lips almost touched Rebecca's ear. "Mr. Daniel Winston is willing to accept my demands for your safety. Do you like that, Ms. Johnson?"The cold blade against Rebecca's neck cut her relief short. Not only that, but the dagger sliced into her skin slightly, causing her body to tense from the ache. She knew David's words weren't trustworthy. "He has some nerve promising her safety when he was the first to put a knife to her neck. What a liar!" Rebecca yelled in her heart. As she struggled in David's hold, s
Making Daniel get down on his knees to exchange a hostage wasn't a solution; it was a clear act of humiliation!Everyone, including Rebecca, the captive, and even the three people behind Daniel, were taken aback. Among the group, Daniel was the only one who remained composed, showing no change in his expression. He stood firm while confronting David, who wore a smile on his face. "What's the matter, dear brother? Do you think my idea isn't good enough for you?" "You're taking this too far!" Ryan couldn't contain his anger and retorted, "Let's have a fair fight, or if you want the Winston family to get involved, that's fine too. But humiliating someone like this is utterly repulsive."David's gaze shifted to Ryan, who was behind him, and he raised his eyebrows slightly. "And who are you? Do you even have the right to speak here? What business is it of yours?" "You!" Ryan's response was cut short as Maxwell pulled him back. Maxwell warned Ryan in a hushed voice, "Don't inte
Rebecca had no idea how she managed to reach the shore.The deep water pushed her down, but buoyancy brought her back up. In the water, with no place to stand, Rebecca thought she would be submerged in the icy lake. The cool water surrounding her from all sides felt like a fine, intricate web. It slowly tightened around her, as if capturing its prey, and then pulled her under the water. Rebecca's situation was already dire. Yet, a warm, powerful hand clung to her ankle, pulling her deeper into the water. Driven by her survival instinct, Rebecca attempted to break free from the grip of the hand holding her and swim toward the surface. However, the more she struggled to ascend, the tighter the grip on her ankle became. Just as she thought she could use a wave to push the person below her underwater, a powerful force yanked her back into the deep water. Rebecca was so close to taking a breath. It was akin to almost reaching a piece of driftwood in the water when someone sta
Both the Johnson and Winston families sent a substantial number of people to aid in the search.Given the Winston family's strong hold on Riverwood, they had the required resources to bring in the personnel necessary for the search. Tillfort Peaks was, in fact, an investment project of the Winston family. Despite Benjamin's attempts to keep it confidential, little did he know that it had caught the eye of several people in Riverwood right from the start. However, when the project eventually went south, it slowly faded from public view. At first, numerous folks thought it would be a lucrative business, but it never progressed beyond the initial planning phase, and they ended up completely deserting the construction site. As for Daniel, even though he had known about the project from the beginning, he hadn't initially placed much importance on it.The concept of constructing a mountain retreat at an altitude of over a thousand meters made sense, but the mountain roads were unde