Renee instantly woke up from the nightmare and opened her eyes drowsily. She saw Sophia staring at her kindly. In her sleepy state, she saw her mother�s image flash before her, and she subconsciously clung on to Sophia. �Mom, I miss you� Can you and Dad stay with me forever?�

In front of outsiders, Renee appeared to be strong and brave, as if she could overcome any obstacle that came her way. However, she was still only in her early twenties � like a beautiful and fragile flower. She would only be vulnerable around people she was close to.

"What did you dream about to scare you like this?� Sophia liked Renee, and when she saw Renee in such a helpless and vulnerable state, she couldn�t help but feel sorry for her. �Don�t be scared, no one would dare hurt you anymore. The Baldwin family will protect you.�

Slowly, Renee regained her senses and realized what had happened. She instantly sat up. �I�m sorry, Aunt Sophia.�

The two began chatting, and eventually, a phone call interrupted them.

Renee�s instincts told her it was from Stefan since the screen showed that the call was from Beach City. She wanted to ignore it at first, but her phone wouldn�t stop ringing.

Sophia looked at her fondly and gestured for her to pick it up. Renee did not want to make her suspicious, so she pretended to be calm and answered the call.

"So, you finally decided to answer the phone!� Stefan�s icy voice from the other end of the phone made her shiver.

It brought back flashes of her nightmare earlier, but she played dumb and said, �What? An insurance company? I�m sorry but I don�t need insurance. Goodbye!�

"Renee, don�t you dare hang up. You-�

Stefan�s threat was promptly cut off as she ended the call.

�Hmm, my phone number must�ve been leaked. I�ve been receiving tons of calls from these kinds of companies. It�s so annoying!� Renee calmly explained to Sophia while subtly blocking the number.

However, another number called soon after, and then another. Every time Renee blocked one number, another one would call. It was so frequent that she had to make an excuse to go to the toilet to secretly call him back.

"Are you crazy, Stefan? Why do you keep calling me? Please keep in mind that you are my ex-husband who shouldn�t even be on my contact list!� Renee scolded in a low voice.

After a few minutes of silence, the man at the other end said icily, "It�s not my intention to disturb you. I just want to ask if my mother went to you and if she is currently alright.�

"Hasn�t she gotten back yet?" Renee was surprised. Beach City and Sutton were not very far apart from each other, so Francine should have arrived at Beach City ages ago. How could she be missing? Did something happened during her journey back there?

"From what you�re saying, my mother did go to Sutton to look for you, didn�t she?�

"Yes, she did, but I helped her go back that same night. There�s no way she hasn�t reached there yet!� Renee hissed.

�Damn it!� He cursed furiously, then growled, �I�m going to the Baldwin residence now to ask for her. You�d better pray that she�s alright, or I won�t spare you, or anyone in the Baldwin family!�

"What? You�re coming here? Are you crazy?! You-" Before Renee could protest, Stefan ended the call. JrNovels.com