Evangeline impatiently slapped Dexter's hand away, then rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head. She didn't want to talk to him.

Dexter pulled the blanket away to expose her head. Evangeline didn't move. Dexter sat on the edge of the bed, reached out, and poked her cheek. "You've slept for twelve hours. You can't sleep anymore." Evangeline quickly turned her head and bit his finger.

Her anger made her bite hard, and she soon tasted blood. Dexter, however, didn't react, nor did he remove his hand. Evangeline opened her eyes, stopped biting, and pushed his hand away. "Are you stupid? Why don't you take your hand away?" she asked.

"I'm afraid of hurting your teeth," Dexter replied.

Evangeline was speechless. Irritably, she rolled over, lay face down, and squirmed towards the edge of the bed. Just as she was about to fall, Dexter picked her up. "Eva, elegance," he said.

"I see," Evangeline retorted, kicking him away, rolling to the floor, and gracefully crawling towards the bathroom. She didn't stand until she reached the door. This movement fully woke her.

She entered the bathroom. As she reached for her toothbrush, Dexter snatched it away. "Wash your hands first. I'll squeeze the toothpaste for you," he said.

Evangeline glanced at her palms. They seemed clean enough. You used to play in the mud as a child. Why do you have mysophobia now? she thought.

Evangeline turned on the tap, rinsed her hands, then took the toothbrush and began brushing her teeth. Afterward, Dexter handed her a wet towel, which she used to wipe her face.

She went into the living room and found breakfast waiting. Scott, the assistant on duty, had made pasta. Seeing Evangeline, he smiled. "Ms. Castillo, I made pasta for you. I don't know if you like it, but I can cook something else if you'd prefer."

"No need. Pasta is fine. Just get me a bottle of cola," Evangeline replied.

Scott glanced at Dexter, who nodded in agreement. Evangeline enjoyed her pasta and cola.

While eating, she looked at Dexter and asked, "Did you have breakfast?"

Dexter smiled. "I got up five hours before you, so yes."

Evangeline said nothing more and continued eating.

After breakfast, she sat on the sofa. Dexter approached with a makeup bag and helped her apply skincare and makeup—a disguise. The makeup completely altered her appearance.

Dexter looked at her face with satisfaction. "Well, we can leave now."

Evangeline looked at herself in the mirror with disgust. She found herself incredibly ugly; her eyebrows seemed especially fierce. But then she reasoned: I can't see my own face. It's not me who will be disgusted. Dexter will always be looking at me. He'll be the victim of his own actions.

Evangeline and Dexter left the hotel. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"What do you want to play?" Dexter countered.

"I want to play in the mud," Evangeline said. So Dexter took her to the beach.

"This is sand, not mud. I want the kind of mud I can roll in," Evangeline pointed out.

Dexter looked at her. "No way. I know what you're thinking. You want to push me into the mud and cover me with it, don't you?"

Evangeline scoffed. "You wish. I wouldn't reward you that way."

Dexter was speechless. Though he'd enjoyed mud as a child, he had no interest now. Yet Evangeline seemed to think otherwise. He'd played in the mud as a child to cool off in the summer heat and avoid mosquitoes; he'd also done it with Evangeline. Covered in mud, they'd even dared to walk outside during the day, even being unafraid of human traffickers.

"Forget it. Since we're here, let's have fun here," Evangeline said. Wearing denim shorts and a tank top, she didn't need a swimsuit.

She removed her shoes and went to the beach. After looking around, she returned to Dexter. "Dexter, even if you're against the whole world, I'll support you."

Dexter was confused. "Why would I be against the whole world?"

Smiling, Evangeline said, "Because I want to offend the whole world."

Dexter was even more confused. Before he could understand, she'd joined a dozen children under ten playing volleyball. She said something to them, and they all lay down, crying loudly within ten minutes. Their parents rushed over.

Evangeline ran to Dexter, hugging him to associate him with her actions, then ran off, leaving him surrounded by angry parents. They spoke a different language, but Dexter understood their complaints.

"You know that crazy woman! She made my child cry! You must explain this!"

"She's an adult! How could she bully children? What's wrong with her?"

"Make her apologize to our children!"

"Is she your girlfriend? If you don't call her back, you're responsible!"

Dexter raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I'll compensate each of you with $10,000. Is that enough?"

The parents' anger vanished. Their children were unharmed; their tears had earned them a significant sum. More money might even encourage more tears—experts said occasional tears were good for the eyes.

Dexter had Scott transfer the money. The parents laughed, their joy contrasting sharply with their children's crying. They began flattering Dexter.

"You're so good to your girlfriend! You'll be a great husband!"

"She's so lucky to have you!"

"Girls are cute when they're lively. Your girlfriend did nothing wrong. It's our children's fault!"

"You're so handsome, but she's not that good-looking. You don't care about appearances. You're a good man!"

"You love her so much! I'm envious. Can we exchange numbers? I can introduce my younger sister to you."

Dexter stared impassively at the person who called Evangeline ugly and the one offering his sister. Politely, he asked, "If I wanted to beat you, would you allow it?"

The two froze, shocked by his polite yet unreasonable request. Dexter continued, "If I give you $50,000 each, can I beat you?"