Revenge is Best Served… After Reborn

Before Sophie could get her words out, Colby had already swept her off her feet, literally, and carried her to the bed like she weighed nothing.

"Colby!" she yelped, caught off guard, but he had no plans of letting go.

"Today's supposed to be the kickoff of our honeymoon, and they're just stirring up trouble," he said, a hint of jealousy coloring his voice.

"Sandy means well. We just haven't seen each other in forever, so she's a bit over the top today," Sophie reassured him, settling comfortably on his lap. "We've got plenty of time to explore. Let's just chill on this cruise today, and tomorrow we can enjoy that fancy presidential suite you booked."

Colby looked surprised. "You figured it out?"

"Your payment alerts come to my phone. So, yeah," she replied with a smirk.

Colby was momentarily speechless. Over the years, he'd been thrifty, stashing away all his cash into Sophie's account. He'd completely forgotten about those pesky payment notifications.

Then it hit him. "So, you knew about all the gifts I got you for birthdays and holidays?"

"Yep, and you're just realizing now?" she teased.

Colby's face fell slightly. Ever since he hit middle age, his sharpness wasn't quite the same.

For two decades, he'd overlooked the notifications. "So, you've been having a laugh at my expense all these years."

"I haven't," Sophie said, her voice soft, her expression rare and pouty. "I just didn't want to spoil your surprises."

"But you had tons of chances to clue me in about the notifications and didn't say a word. You did it on purpose," he accused, playfully poking her cheek. "How should I punish you for that?"

"No way, I'm in charge here," Sophie declared, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"One kiss isn't enough."

"How about another?" she offered.

"Two kisses still don't cut it."

Sophie playfully punched his shoulder, feigning exasperation. "Then what's it gonna take?"

Colby gently laid her back on the

bed, showering her with kisses etnoveldrama

between their closeness, he

murmured in a low voice, "No number will ever be enough.

Meanwhile, out on the deck, Adler and Jenna had been waiting for what felt like ages.

Both kept glancing towards the cabin. "What's taking them so long? Still not back?" Jenna wondered.

"Should we go see what's up?" she suggested.

As Jenna started to rise, Adler quickly pulled her back. "Hold on, where do you think you're going?"

"To check on them!"

"What's there to see? They're probably just cozy under the covers," he teased.

Jenna shot him a look of disbelief. "How do you know?"

"Didn't you catch Colby's sulky little face earlier?" Adler chuckled.

Jenna and Sandy exchanged puzzled glances. "Did he?" Sandy asked, curious.

"Definitely Adler said, grinning.

"Being Colby's buddy, I know exactly

what's

going on in that head of

It's like I'm his inner voice.

Jenna rolled her eyes, half-amused, half-grossed out. "Inner voice? That's just creepy."

After what seemed like an eternity,

Sophie and Colby finally emerged

from the cabin. Jenna and Adler

were already catching waves,

surfing like pros.

Sandy bounded over to Sophie, bubbling with excitement. "Sophie, come with me

for a sec!"