After that, the three of them lay back on the loungers. Naturally, Rex was in the middle, flanked by the two girls.
"Don't you guys want to go swimming or something?" Rex asked, confused by how Rose and Ruby were clinging to his sides.
"What about you? You aren't just going to lie here all day, are you?" Rose replied.
"Yeah... if we're going to play, let's do it together," Ruby added.
"Maybe in a bit. My body is still so sore... even though I slept like a log last night," Rex replied.
"Yeah, me too," Rose replied, looking away with a strange smile.
"Right on," Ruby added, also looking away with a weird grin.
While they were relaxing and Rex had his head back looking at the umbrella, their shade was suddenly lifted. Rex immediately turned his face as the direct sunlight hit him. The three of them looked back and saw a man in a black suit, a Hawaiian shirt, and slicked-back hair holding their umbrella.
"My boss needs this umbrella," the man said in a cold voice.
"Huh," Rex, Rose, and Ruby muttered in unison.
They watched as the man carried the umbrella behind them toward another man in an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, showing off his six-pack while lying casually on a lounger. Next to him was a beautiful blonde girl with fair skin, looking sexy in just a bikini. The moment Rex saw the man's face, his blood began to boil. His memory flashed back to Arendel; he saw the face of the person who had stabbed him in the back in his final moments. His hands clenched into fists.
"No way... is he really here?" Rex asked in his heart.
Rose and Ruby naturally noticed the look on Rex's face and wondered what was wrong. But before Rex could move, the man with the blonde buzz cut—who was relaxing while his guard hammered the stolen umbrella into the sand—glanced at Rex. He gave a casual, mocking smirk and said something to the beautiful but arrogant-looking girl beside him. The girl also smirked at Rex, looking at him with total disdain. Finally, the man stood up and walked toward Rex with a cocky expression and a sneer, carrying a cocktail glass.
"Yo... I need your umbrella. Don't complain, you peasants," the man said arrogantly.
From the way he spoke, it was obvious the man in front of them was part of the elite who did whatever they wanted and looked down on everyone else. Plus, he looked to be around 27 or 28—the exact age of the person who claimed to be a best friend but had run him through with a sword and stolen his lover. But before Rex could open his mouth, Ruby stepped forward in front of him and smiled.
"You take our umbrella without asking and now you're just coming over here to mock us?" Ruby asked.
"Are you just here to act tough or what?" Rose asked, also stepping forward.
"Whoa... relax, ladies... hmm... you two are gorgeous and cool. Why would you want to be with a guy like him? Oh, my name's Leo, by the way," the man named Leo asked.
"So? When did we ever ask for your name? Please, don't flatter yourself, he's way better than you," Rose said, staring intensely at Leo with black eyes as deep as an abyss.
"Can I give you some advice? Give our umbrella back and leave, or deal with the consequences," Ruby said, glaring at Leo with blue eyes as deep as the ocean.
Seeing the terrifying expressions and the gazes of the two girls in front of him, Leo flinched for a second, but he still tried to play it cool. He turned to Rex and raised his hand. "Splash," he drenched Rex with his cocktail.
"Keep these two hookers of yours in check. Don't let them talk to me like that," Leo said coldly to Rex.
After that, he turned around and walked back to his chair. Rose and Ruby turned to Rex, who was soaking wet and looking down. His hands were clenched so tightly they were shaking as he fought back his emotions.
"Come on, let's just find another spot. Just forget about that jerk," Rose said, taking Rex's hand and wiping his face.
"Yeah, come on, let's take a walk," Ruby added, grabbing Rex's arm and looking into his face.
"Okay... let's go," Rex replied.
They walked away, but Rose and Ruby stared at Leo and his girl without even blinking. After Rex managed to get his emotions under control, he noticed the two girls beside him looking at him with worry.
"Do you know that guy, honey?" Rose asked.
"No, I just met him," Rex answered.
"But when you saw him, your expression changed... it became terrifying," Ruby added.
"Oh... sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Rex said.
"It's okay. If you want to talk about it, please don't hesitate," Ruby said.
"Right. We're together now—for better or for worse, we deal with things together," Rose replied.
"Thank you... both of you," Rex replied with a faint smile.
Seeing Rex smile, Rose and Ruby were back to their cheerful selves. They immediately hooked their arms through Rex's, clinging to him tightly and happily. After that, they found a fresh spot and started having a blast playing on the beach together. Rex started to feel the joy, too, letting the earlier incident fade from his mind.
***
About a few hours later, "click," the man in the black suit and Hawaiian shirt entered the beach restroom.
"Boss?" he asked.
Since his boss and the girl hadn't come out in a long while, it was his duty as a bodyguard to check on them. He opened the stalls one by one to investigate, but when he reached the very last one, his eyes nearly popped out of his head and he instantly clamped his hand over his mouth. Inside the stall, Leo was sitting on the toilet and his girl was crouching in front, seemingly servicing him down there. But what made the bodyguard shake with terror was that their heads had been swapped—making it look like Leo was servicing himself with his own mouth.
***
A few moments later, Rex—who was lying comfortably between Rose and Ruby—heard a commotion near the restrooms and turned his head. He was shocked to see a swarm of police arriving along with medical personnel. He squinted and noticed Leo's bodyguard looking panicked while giving a statement to the officers.
"What's going on?" Rex asked.
"Whoa, it's getting crowded over there," Rose remarked.
"Yeah... felt like everything was fine when we went to the bathroom earlier," Ruby said, glancing toward the restrooms.
"Forget it, just leave it be. It's none of our business anyway," Rose replied, lying back down and sliding her sunglasses into place.
"Hmm... yeah, you're right. Who cares," Rex replied, settling back onto his lounger.
"Let's rest for a bit, then play some more... are you guys hungry? I'm pretty starving. You hungry, babe?" Ruby asked, patting her stomach.
"Hmm... good point. How about we go find something to eat, honey?" Rose asked.
"Let's go. I'm hungry too," Rex answered.
They stood up and took a casual stroll toward the roadside to check out the row of food trucks lined up there. As they walked, Rose and Ruby stole a quick glance at each other and shared a secret smile before looking back ahead and talking to Rex.