Chapter 201
Loretta had finally started to get the hang of grilling when she suddenly heard a voice next to her. “Hi, gorgeous, need some help
She turned her head and saw a blond man in a charcoal–gray jacket approaching. He wasn’t had–looking, especially with those deep, mesmerizing blue eyes.
“Thanks, but no.” Loretta replied, not intending to give any man a chance, and continued grilling.
John noticed the man immediately and sent the two women who wanted to drink with him away. He then said sternly, “Mister, this is a father–daughter barbecue time. We don’t want any interruptions.”
The man, though a bit disappointed, was still polite and left within gentlemanly nod.
Watching him leave, John couldn’t help but comment, “Honey, if you find someone here who catches your eye, I wouldn’t mind you dating him.”
“Dad, don’t worry about that. Loretta handed him a skewer of grilled squid tentacles, smiling. “Here, try this. How’s my grilling?”
She had finally managed to get it right after several attempts, and of course, she wanted John to taste it first.
John took a bite and nodded approvingly. “Not bad.”
Loretta’s eyes crinkled with joy as she smiled. She grilled a bit more, and the two of them took their plates of barbecue to a nearby set of chairs. There, they sat, enjoying the view of the night ocean, starlit sky, and chatted while eating-
At that moment, a hotel staff member approached with drinks.
John looked up. “We didn’t order any drinks.”
He generally didn’t drink alcohol around Loretta and didn’t allow her to drink, either.
The server explained. This is the hotel’s homemade coconut wine. The owner wants us to offer it to all the guests to try”
Loretta
here.
a glanced around and noticed other guests were being served as well. She gestured to the server, “You can leave it
The server placed the drinks down and left.
Loretta poured two glasses and handed one to John. “Dad, why don’t we just give it a try?”
The coconut wine had a fresh coconut aroma, which smelled quite appealing.
John took a glass from her, cautioning, “Drinking outside isn’t always safe. Let’s just have this one. If it’s good, we can buy some to send home.”
“Okay,” Loretta agreed
They both took a sip. The flavor was unexpectedly smooth, with hint of coconut, and it wasn’t harsh at all.
Loretta closed her eyes slightly as she savored it. This is really good.”
John agreed, but he still didn’t let her drink too much.
Loretta nodded. “I’ll just finish this one glass.”
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12:17 Sat, Dec 21 G ti
Chapter 20
Nearby, many people were dancing, laughing, and having a great time, but Loretta wasn’t in the mood to join. However, she did need to use the restroom, so she mentioned it to John.
The restroom was inside the hotel, and John started to stand up, but Loretta stopped him. “Dad, it’s fine. I’ll be right back. There’s still plenty of time tonight. We can play on the beach a little longer. I even want to grill some more later.”
Reassured by her words, John sat back down. Loretta then headed alone toward the hotel.
The entrance led directly into the restaurant, and the public restrooms were next to it. At that hour, most of the guests were on the beach, leaving only the front desk staff inside.
After Loretta entered the restroom, she headed directly to the left. The restroom wasn’t inside the restaurant but down a pebble path lined with coconut trees, a more secluded area.
When she finished and was washing her hands, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
Instinctively, she glanced up at the mirror and saw two men coming her way. They looked like ordinary tourists, but their eyes betrayed them–they clearly had bad intentions.
Loretta’s heart sank, and she immediately became alert. She turned off the faucet and prepared to leave through the other exit. But as she turned, the two men quickly closed the distance
“Hey, beautiful, why don’t you come with us for a bit?” one of the men said, reaching out to grab her. Without hesitation. Loretta sidestepped and swiftly struck down on the man’s wrist with a sharp hand chop.
“Ugh… The man grunted and exchanged a glance with his accomplice.
The injured man sneered, clutching his wrist in pain. “Looks like you’re more aware than we thought.”
The other man lunged at Loretta.
Loretta let out a cold snort, and as he attacked, she pushed herself off the sink, leaping into the air.
Her legs swung out, landing a hard kick on the man’s chest, forcing him to stumble back a few steps. She landed deftly, quickly scanning the surroundings for a weapon she could use.
However, before she could find anything useful, the two men were already closing in again.
Loretta’s long dress was becoming a hindrance as she dodged their attacks. Their strikes were getting fiercer, and one of the men deliberately grabbed at her skirt, trying to trip her up.
Forced to dodge and evade, Loretta soon felt the hem of her ski get caught in the man’s grasp.
Panic rose in her chest as Loretta tried to elbow him away, but she didn’t notice the other man moving behind her. He was holding a syringe, and the needle was poised to plunge into her neck.
“What do you think you’re doing?” A cold voice suddenly broke through the tension, causing all three of them to freeze.
In the next moment, before Loretta could even react, a figure flashed by. Malcolm swiftly grabbed her arm and yanked her to the side, then kicked the man behind her.
Loretta stumbled, barely catching her balance before glancing back to see the man was holding a syringe.
Malcolm let go of her arm, his voice low and commanding. “Getback”
Loretta, seeing the fierce aura emanating from him, opened her mouth to say something but then thought better of it. She quickly stepped aside as instructed.
In no time, Malcolm was locked in combat with the two men.
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12:17 Sat, Dec 21
Chapter 20
This was the second time Loretta had witnessed Malcolm’s fighting skills–each move, every punch and kick, was delivered with deadly precision and brute force. It didn’t take long for hir to beat them into submission.
Seeing the two men writhing on the ground in pain, Malcolm didn’t plan to let them go. He stepped forward and kicked each man again, and Loretta could hear the sound of bones cracking.
Both men screamed in agony. Then, without hesitation, Malcolm snatched the syringe from the man who had tried to inject Loretta and plunged it into his neck.
The man collapsed unconscious instantly, while the other fainted from sheer terror.
Loretta stood there in shock, staring at Malcolm, who was crouched down, his entire demeanor radiating danger. Finally, she called out, “Malcolm.”
It took several seconds for him to stand and turn toward her. His tone was sharp and accusatory. “What are you thinking coming to a place like this alone? Are you that eager to get kidnapped?”
Loretta looked at Malcolm’s stern face. Instead of snapping back as he had expected, she simply replied, “I just needed to use the restroom.” Then, she began walking toward him.
Annoyed by her lack of retort, Malcolm added, “What, are your bodyguards dead?”
By now, Loretta had reached him, her gaze fixed intently on his face.
Unable to stand the intensity of her stare, Malcolm turned to walk away. But the next second, he felt her hand grasp his.
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