At the bottom of the rental building, Shenan and Mateo stayed in the car as instructed.
Celine got out of the car, took a deep breath, then pushed open the unit door and walked inside with steady steps.
The dim hallway motion-sensor lights flickered on and off as she walked.
Standing in front of that familiar door, her fingertips felt a little cold.
Countless memories from past and present flooded her mind, finally freezing on that disgusting, fake face.
"Click."
The door opened.
Inside, Lorenzo had obviously just finished showering.
His hair was wet, water droplets sliding down his bare shoulders and back. He wore only a loose bath towel around his waist, holding a towel to dry his hair.
Hearing the door open, he paused, then turned around with a bit of impatience.
When he saw Celine standing at the door, he froze completely. The towel in his hand hung in mid-air, his eyes showing obvious shock.
He had always known Celine was beautiful, delicate and clean, with a gentle girl-next-door charm.
But after spending time together, even the most beautiful face would get tiring—especially when his mind started to play tricks on him, thinking Celine's ordinary background wasn't good enough for him.
But now, the Celine in front of him seemed... different.
It was still that familiar face, the features unchanged, but her skin was delicate and glowing with a healthy shine.
Especially her eyes, clear and bright to a surprising degree.
Lorenzo stared blankly, forgetting to speak.
Though he couldn't say exactly what had changed, she looked... more beautiful, beautiful enough to make his heart skip a beat.
Lorenzo didn't understand why, but Celine knew.
It was all thanks to the crystal core.
Though Celine couldn't absorb the crystal core's energy like an ability user, the pure energy inside it was quietly improving her body.
The most obvious change was that her meridians were cleared and purified, the blockages and damp cold dissolved.
Not only did her body feel lighter, but her sleep quality had greatly improved, making her radiate vitality from inside out.
Lorenzo watched Celine, and Celine watched Lorenzo.
This was the first time since her rebirth that she stood so close and looked directly at Lorenzo.
Looking at the man who had killed her entire family in their past life, the one who had tortured her to death!
A raging hatred surged through her limbs and bones like the hottest lava, almost breaking all her reason!
The thought of killing Lorenzo hissed like a venomous snake, gnawing at her nerves.
She struggled hard to hold herself back from rushing at him immediately.
"What are you standing there for?"
Lorenzo's voice broke the silence. The impatience on his face quietly faded, even his tone softened considerably.
Celine did not move, still forcing down the overwhelming hatred.
But the effort made her eyes instantly redden.
To Lorenzo, that looked like something else entirely.
Ha, so she still can't let me go.
A trace of pride flashed in the man's heart, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"Tch, it was just a breakup, why make such a fuss?"
His tone was light, as if it was a trivial matter.
Then Lorenzo reached out his long arm and naturally pulled Celine, who was still frozen at the door, into the living room.
Their actions were so practiced, as if no cracks had ever formed between them.
The warm body heat passed through the thin air, carrying the scent of soap after a bath, causing a churn deep in Celine's stomach.
Then, the towel still warm and damp from Lorenzo was casually handed into Celine's hands.
"What are you standing there for?"
Lorenzo lounged on the beige sofa they had picked out together in the living room. The edge of his towel slipped slightly, revealing firm, toned abs.
He patted the spot behind him and lazily pointed at his wet hair.
"Come on, help me dry it."
His tone was natural, carrying a kind of arrogant expectation to be taken care of.
Celine lowered her head, staring at the soft white towel in her hands.
The towel was pure cotton, very absorbent, and thick.
If... if she twisted it tight and suddenly wrapped it around his unguarded neck...
A wild and tempting thought suddenly slithered out from the darkest corner of her heart like a venomous snake!
This close, this position, he had just finished bathing, completely relaxed, his guard down...
It was totally possible!
Just a moment of force, and she could make him pay the first interest for his sins from the past life!
Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and her breathing grew rapid.
Her blood seemed to race fiercely through her veins, shouting with a desperate thirst for revenge!
"What's wrong? Stop dawdling, hurry up."
Lorenzo's impatient voice came from behind, like a bucket of icy water poured suddenly over the raging flames inside Celine's heart.
No!
Now was not the time!
Killing him now would be too cheap for him, and too cheap for that bitch Vanissa!
She gritted her back teeth hard, a metallic, rusty taste rising in her mouth, forcing the boiling hatred and killing intent back into the deepest part of her heart, sealing it away.
Taking a deep breath, Celine expressionlessly walked behind Lorenzo.
Then, she reached out and started drying his wet hair.
But her movements no longer had the careful gentleness and patience from before. Her fingertips pressed down with a subtle stiffness.
"Ah—"
Lorenzo clearly felt a sharp pain, shifting his neck uncomfortably, frowning.
"Be gentler! You…"
He didn't finish speaking but seemed to notice something was off with Celine. He thought she was still upset about their breakup, affecting how she handled the towel.
The man impatiently snatched the towel from her hands, roughly rubbing it over his hair twice.
"Enough, enough. Clumsy hands, you can't do anything right!"
His tone was full of disdain but ended with a faint, unnoticeable attempt to comfort himself.
"It's not even over yet. Is it really worth being this upset?"
After saying this, Lorenzo suddenly seemed to remember something, or maybe his "conscience" finally kicked in.
He tossed the towel carelessly onto the sofa armrest and turned his head, eyes falling on Celine's face, casually asking:
"By the way, how's your brother's leg… the treatment going?"
"I heard that kind of surgery is pretty expensive, right? It must cost a lot of money?"