Chapter 187

The man saw Phoebe recognize him. With a smug smile, he said, “I knew it—you still remember me.”

Phoebe walked over and took a seat in an empty chair. She looked at him and said, “Of course I remember you.” Then, she added with a smirk, “After all, out of all the men who have chased after me, you were the ugliest and the most embarrassingly outdated in your approach.”

She honestly hadn’t expected this man to be Sienna’s biological brother. Back when she was in college, this guy had pursued her relentlessly. For a while, he was utterly insufferable—showing up every single day with a bouquet of roses, standing outside her dorm. The worst was when he lit candles in the shape of a heart beneath her dorm window. As if that wasn’t enough, he even pulled out a guitar and started serenading her. Disgusted beyond belief, she called campus security. He was promptly forced to pack up his ridiculous display and was escorted away. Every Friday, when she left campus, he would be waiting by the school gate, insisting on taking her out to dinner. She found him beyond annoying. When Reece found out, he started picking her up from school regularly and made it very clear to the guy that she was off-limits. After that, the man finally stopped showing up.

Now, staring at her, he froze, clearly unable to believe how she had just described him. With a dark expression, he demanded, “How am I ugly? My way of showing love was unique—how was it outdated?”

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “You are ugly. You are outdated. You’re exactly what the internet calls a greasy creep. Do yourself a favor and get some self-awareness, will you?”

It was obvious to her now—he hadn’t pursued her out of love. There had been an ulterior motive all along. No wonder she had found him repulsive from the very start. Phoebe rarely harbored such strong dislike for someone, but her instincts had screamed at her to stay far away. In her past life, her abilities in horoscope and metaphysics weren’t as refined, so she hadn’t been able to see through him. But now? Now she could tell. This man had a problem—a big one.

His face twisted as if he had just swallowed something bitter. “You—”

Phoebe waved a hand dismissively. “Alright, enough with the nonsense. You wanted to see me—why?”

She actually remembered him quite well because on the day she was kidnapped in her previous life, she had seen him. He had deliberately bumped into her, apologized, and then tried to start a conversation, as if he had just “coincidentally” run into her. She had ignored him and gone to the parking lot—where she was then drugged and taken. Now, looking back, it clearly hadn’t been a coincidence at all. This only confirmed her suspicions. Her kidnapping, along with Sienna’s, hadn’t been done by some enemy of the Jenkins family. No—it had been orchestrated by the people backing Sienna. Sienna was far from innocent.

The man could tell Phoebe wasn’t interested in talking about the past. Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “Do you even remember my name?”

Phoebe had an excellent memory. Of course, she remembered. But for an insufferably delusional man like him? There was no need to humor him. “Nope,” she replied bluntly, “I only remember how disgusting and slimy you were.”

His face darkened in fury. He prided himself on his supposed charm. He had slept with countless women, many of whom had been obsessed with him. And yet, in Phoebe’s eyes, he was just an oily, sleazy creep? “This woman must be blind,” he thought bitterly. Sure, he had initially pursued her for ulterior motives, but she was undeniably beautiful—of course, he had wanted her.

Yet she had completely ignored him, making her the first woman who had ever rejected him so thoroughly. It had been a humiliating experience. Staring at Phoebe, he insisted, “My name is Reynard Morrie. Remember it.”

Phoebe scoffed. “Why would I? Can you stop being so greasy? Just get to the point, or I’m leaving.”

This was amusing—because back then, he had introduced himself with a different name. He had probably done it on purpose, afraid she would connect him to Sienna. After all, before being taken in by the Jenkins family, Sienna’s last name had been Morse.

Seeing that Phoebe was serious about leaving, Reynard finally spoke up. “I just want to know—what method did you use to counterattack me?” He had been stalling, carefully observing her facial features, searching for a clue. But even now, he couldn’t see through her. She looked just as she had when he had first pursued her. There was no sign of her being a powerful horoscope master. No indication of how strong she really was. Instead of finding answers, he was only growing more confused. What he didn’t realize was that Phoebe had been observing him just as closely. From the moment she walked in, she had already gathered plenty of information.

With a cold smile, she said, “Do you think I’d be stupid enough to tell you?”

Reynard clicked his tongue. “Fine, don’t tell me.” Then, with curiosity, he asked, “What level is your power at now? Emergence Realm? Or have you already reached Reverence Realm?”

Phoebe smiled mysteriously. “Take a guess.”

Reynard clenched his jaw. “This woman is so damn irritating.” Switching tactics, he said, “I’ve got nothing more to say. Do you have any questions for me?” He was clearly trying to buy time. All the while, he subtly rubbed the ring on his thumb, attempting to capture traces of Phoebe’s aura. His plan was to store it in the ring and pass it along later. But Phoebe, who had been observing him closely, immediately noticed his little trick. Her gaze flickered to the ring.

That thing was definitely problematic. She could sense that it was designed to capture and store her aura. Though she had used an aura-concealing charm and layered her body with protective techniques, she wasn’t about to take any chances. She began calculating the time. Then, tilting her head, she asked, “Are you and Sienna full siblings? Same father, same mother?”

Reynard hesitated for a fraction of a second before replying with a smile, “Of course. But this has nothing to do with her. I just didn’t like how you were bullying her, so I wanted to teach you a lesson. Never expected to fail so miserably.” That had been the most frustrating part for him. But even if he could go back, he wouldn’t change a thing—he had to come to Darmechia and do this.

Just as Reynard was wallowing in frustration, Phoebe casually remarked, “That’s funny. Because judging by your facial features, you and Sienna don’t share the same mother at all.”

He stiffened. So it was just a cover story. They were only half-siblings—same father, different mothers. Just like Soren and Edith. Phoebe couldn’t help but think, Damn, their father really got around. And not just for pleasure—no, it felt calculated.

Reynard’s eyes widened in shock. Then, with forced amusement, he scoffed, “What are you talking about? Of course, we share the same mother. And you can ‘read’ my facial features? I don’t buy it.” But deep down, he was rattled. “I’m at the Reverence Realm, and I’ve even used a secret technique to conceal my features. How the hell did she see through me? Is she trying to trick me?”