Private Beach, Public Humiliation

"You beast!" I shouted as I stepped forward to slap Felicity.

Unfortunately, I was held back by two bodyguards.

Felicity gave the two bodyguards, who were standing closest to Stella, a look.

The bodyguards immediately leaped into action and started stalking toward Stella. They stopped her from getting back to shore.

Stella had never been cornered before. The color drained from her small face as she grabbed the hem of my shorts in a death grip. Her body was quivering violently as she exclaimed in a teary voice, "Save me, Mommy! I don't want to perform for them!"

My temper exploded. "Let go of my daughter!" I roared.

The sound of a slap rang through the air.

My cheek stung terribly.

Felicity shook her hand with a mocking smile. "I think you should be worrying about yourself right now."

My eyes widened as I watched the bodyguards force Stella deeper into the ocean.

It was obvious that Stella was struggling to maintain her balance. She accidentally swallowed some seawater and started coughing violently.

Tears stung my eyes as I clenched my fists tightly. "I'm only going to say this one more time. Let go of my daughter, or you'll pay for the consequences of your actions!"

Felicity didn't look bothered at all by my wrath. On the contrary, my reaction only spurred her on. "Consequences? What could you possibly do to me? How dare an ugly and old housewife like you threaten me?"

She reached out her hand and patted my cheek. "Your daughter's not allowed to return to shore until she makes Mr. White happy. Mike won't shed a single tear for a brat like her, even if she drowns! His first priority is to get in Mr. White's and the other finance tycoons' good graces now."

"Micah definitely won't let you off the hook if he finds out how you've been mistreating our daughter," I snapped.

However, my words only made Felicity smile even wider.

"Don't make me laugh. Mike told me a long time ago that an old hag like you can't satisfy him. The one that he loves is me! If he wants children, I can give birth to a child any time since I'm still young and beautiful!"

I didn't want to waste my breath talking to these lunatics any longer. It was pointless since they were just bent on humiliating me.

I twisted my body and freed myself from the bodyguards' hold before bolting into the ocean. The icy water drenched me in an instant, but it did nothing to extinguish the flames of fury burning within me.

I was determined to make Felicity pay for her actions.

I swam over to Stella as fast as I could. I scooped her out of the chilly waters and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Stella's face had turned a ruddy red, and she couldn't stop coughing. She sobbed as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I'm so scared, Mommy…"

I patted Stella's back lightly and used my body to block her from the chilly sea breeze.

Felicity was furious that I had ruined her plans.

"Who told you that you could save that brat?" she demanded. "You useless piece of trash! Can you bear the consequences of ruining Mr. White's fun? I'm going to call Micah right now! I'm going to tell him to kick both you and your daughter to the curb!"

She then grabbed her phone, looking as if she was going to make good on her threat.

However, the powerful roar of an engine interrupted her.

A white speedboat was approaching Moonrise Bay at breakneck speed. It eventually slowed to a stop near the shore.

Micah was dressed in casual beachwear and wearing a pair of sunglasses. He alighted from the speedboat while accompanied by a team of assistants and bodyguards.

His appearance caught the attention of everyone on the beach.

Felicity immediately fixed a troubled and teary expression on her face when she noticed Micah. She hurried over to him and threw herself into his side. She then grabbed his arm and spoke in a coy voice that made my toes curl.

"You're finally here, Mike! Your wife and daughter appeared out of nowhere. She even claimed that Moonrise Bay belongs to her!"'

I had to give Felicity credit. She was an expert at twisting the truth.

"She even offended Mr. White and the other guests," Felicity continued. "I tried to advise her out of the goodness of my heart, but she raised her hand against me!"

She then pointed at her face, which was clearly unharmed. She complained about me and my so-called crimes with her grossly exaggerated acting skills.