"You… You're lying!" Joy Warren trembled with anger. "Plenty of guys are after me!"
Renee Jennings met her furious gaze and grinned. "You have a piece of leaf on your tooth."
Joy Warren immediately covered her mouth.
Renee Jennings's smile deepened.
Old Hag Crawford shot Renee Jennings a dark look, cursing inwardly, 'That little bitch has such a sharp tongue!'
Rhea Dempsey was ecstatic to see Renee Jennings leave Joy Warren speechless.
But in front of Old Hag Crawford and her husband, she couldn't be too obvious about it.
She feigned a scolding tone. "Renee, don't be so rude."
"Grandma, Auntie wasn't being rude," a childish voice piped up. Zane's soft little face was completely serious. "They were the ones who bullied Mommy first!"
"That's right, my brother's right! And Auntie is right, too!" Jasmine chimed in, nodding her little head emphatically.
Not wanting to clash with Renee Jennings any further, Old Hag Crawford deftly shifted the topic to Diana Jennings and her twins.
"Diana's two children are so well-behaved."
Rhea Dempsey beamed and replied, "That's because Bella taught them so well."
"It must be so hard for Diana, raising two kids all on her own." Old Hag Crawford stared at Diana, a calculating glint in her eyes.
"Trying to find a partner, too… once men hear you have two kids, they're sure to be put off. It's really not easy."
Diana listened quietly, offering no response.
Rhea Dempsey and Dalton Jenson exchanged a glance.
"I watched Diana grow up," Old Hag Crawford continued. "It breaks my heart to see her struggling like this!"
"That's right. I wish there was something we could do to help her," Hugh Warren, Old Hag Crawford's husband, chimed in.
Joy Warren said, "You could set Diana up with someone."
Old Hag Crawford's eyes lit up. She clapped her hands and said, "That's a great idea! I have a cousin who's looking for someone right now."
The Jennings family was left speechless.
'So *that* was their scheme all along?'
Old Hag Crawford said enthusiastically, "My cousin is an honest, good-looking man. He has a house and a car. The only drawback is that he's divorced with a son, but Diana is also divorced with two kids. They're a perfect match!"
Rhea Dempsey had zero desire to be related to Old Hag Crawford, so she remained silent.
Dalton Jenson didn't say anything either.
Diana, the subject of the conversation, pressed her lips together, her expression cool and distant.
"Why is everyone so quiet?" Old Hag Crawford chuckled. "This is a wonderful thing, isn't it?"
Renee suddenly spoke up. "Aunt Crawford, how old is this cousin of yours?"
Rhea Dempsey's heart skipped a beat.
She didn't want to assume the worst of her daughter.
But Renee's behavior today had been so suspicious.
'She invited Diana over for dinner, which was completely out of character. Could she be working with Old Hag Crawford to set Diana up?'
"My cousin is only about ten years or so older than Diana." Old Hag Crawford's fleshy face was wreathed in smiles. "And as the old saying goes, an older man knows how to spoil his wife."
Renee: "Forget 'ten years or so.' Give me a specific number."
Old Hag Crawford's eyes shifted. "He's just over forty. And don't they say a man at forty is like a flower in bloom?"
Renee eyed her with a smirk. "And where is this house he bought?"
Old Hag Crawford: "He built a three-story house back in our hometown."
Renee: "And what kind of car does he have?"
Old Hag Crawford: "He just bought a new Yadea electric scooter. Picked the most expensive model in the shop."
Renee summarized, "Oh, so a house in the countryside, a crappy electric scooter, and he's nearly twenty years older than my sister."
She was absolutely merciless.
A wave of relief washed over Rhea Dempsey.
'Her daughter wasn't as terrible as she had feared.'
Old Hag Crawford snapped, "How dare you call it a crappy scooter? It was the most expensive one they had, it cost several thousand!"
"That's hilarious." Renee rolled her eyes. "And you have the nerve to come to my house with an offer like that? What a pipe dream! My sister is amazing. Don't think you can set her up with any random piece of trash."
"Outstanding, my ass," Old Hag Crawford sneered. "What kind of 'good girl' gets herself knocked up before marriage?"
"She has two kids and there's not a man in sight. She must have been with so many guys she doesn't even know who the father is!"
Rhea Dempsey shot to her feet. "Old Hag Crawford!" she roared.
Old Hag Crawford's face paled. She clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she'd gone too far.
"Rhea, my dear, that's not what I meant! Please, don't get the wrong idea!"
The words had barely left her mouth when a cup of water splashed right in her face.
Renee's slender fingers were still wrapped around the empty cup. Her voice was icy, her gaze frigid. "Since your mouth is so filthy, you should wash it out."
A startled Old Hag Crawford shot to her feet.
Joy Warren cried out, "Renee, you've gone too far!"
"This is what you call 'too far'?" A derisive smile played on Renee's lips. "If you don't get lost right now, I can show you what 'too far' really looks like."
With that, she glanced at Blueberry.
A smart cat needs no command from its owner.
Blueberry instantly understood Renee's intent. Its sapphire-like eyes narrowed, and it kicked off powerfully with its hind legs—
The cat traced a graceful arc through the air, landing perfectly in its owner's arms.
Renee, cuddling the ball of fur, gave Old Hag Crawford a friendly smile.
"Aunt Crawford, my kitty accidentally peed on you this afternoon. Who knows, in a little while, he might accidentally pee on your face."
Old Hag Crawford's expression turned ugly.
She ground her teeth in frustration and reluctantly left with her husband and daughter.
Renee walked to the door and watched the trio's dejected retreat. She called after them, "Aunt Crawford, my little cat would love to welcome you back anytime!"
At her words, Old Hag Crawford picked up her pace, nearly tripping and falling flat on her face.
Renee closed the door and turned to Diana, her expression laced with concern. "Sis, Old Hag Crawford was just spouting nonsense. Don't listen to a word she said."
"I know." Diana smiled. "Thank goodness Renee was here today."
"Exactly. She said everything I was holding back," Rhea Dempsey nodded in agreement. "She was basically my mouthpiece tonight."
"I've had it with her for a long time," Renee said with a frown.
Old Hag Crawford and her big mouth were the ones who had spread the news about Diana's premarital pregnancy, embellishing the story with fabricated details and ruining her reputation.
Zane and Jasmine watched Renee quietly, their little heads filled with a big question.
'Why has our mean auntie suddenly become so nice?'
The two children weren't the only ones wondering. Diana, Rhea, and Dalton couldn't figure it out either.
After seeing her sister's family of three off, Renee—the person at the center of all this confusion—didn't go straight home. Instead, she stopped to greet the small animals around the apartment complex.
The appearance of the man with the mole had put her on high alert.
Renee asked the little animals to keep an eye on Diana's family.
If any bad people tried to bully them, they had to help.
Having accepted Renee's offerings, the little animals all but beat their chests, promising to complete the mission.
Only then did Renee head home, feeling reassured.
Before bed, she set an alarm for the next day's outing to make sure she wouldn't miss her appointment.
Blue Bay Park was about three kilometers from her home. Worried about Sunday traffic, she planned on taking Rhea Dempsey's electric scooter.
"Mom, where are your car keys? I have to go out for a bit."
"You're taking the electric scooter out?" Rhea Dempsey was stunned. "Aren't you the precious little princess who only deigns to ride in a BMW?"