Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 851-860

Angela took a deep breath and said coldly, “Dad and Mom are right, Dexter. I’m out of your league. You’re a dirty, disgusting scoundrel. Never show yourself in front of me again. I never want to see you.”

“What are you talking about, Angela? Did your parents tell you something? I love you. I promise I won’t fall for anyone else. Is that not enough?” Dexter was starting to sound anxious and panicked.

“You won’t fall for anyone else? Yeah right. You hooked up with someone you just met on the plane. My mother paid you to leave me. She probably gave you millions, but you… you wanted to take everything they have. That’s crossing the line.” Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“H-How did you know about that, Angela? No! S-She seduced me! It’s not my fault!” Dexter was panicking now.

“Either you give the money back, or I’ll make you. Make your choice. You have three days. Refuse, and I’ll sue you,” she warned him. Angela was finally starting to act like the rich lady she was after she snapped out of it.

Dexter dropped his act at once and sneered. “Your mother gave me the money, Angela. I won’t give it back. You have no grounds to sue me.”

“Oh, I’m sure my father can do something about that. And I know a lot of people who’d love to help my family. Either you give my mother the money back, or you’re getting it,” she threatened.

“You can’t do this, Angela. My mother’s sick. She needs the money. Can I have it for now? I’ll pay you back, please!” Scared, Dexter was making a last-ditch effort to scam some money.

“You have three days. Make your choice.” She hung up and closed her eyes for a few moments. When she opened them again, they were gleaming brightly. She was no longer the woman controlled by love. Angela turned around and handed the phone back to Richard. “Thank you.”

Richard squinted. He was surprised that she could become so tough and calm in mere moments, but he was happy for her.

“I hope you’ll find that lipstick as soon as possible.” Angela thought that the lipstick was the key item for this change in her life. She wouldn’t have met Richard if it wasn’t because of the lipstick, and she might have had her whole life ruined by Dexter. But now I’m saved.

Richard left her room. He just remembered that he had some reports to attend to, so he went to the room where his team members were. Just when he was about to go inside, he heard his team members’ discussion.

“She’s only played like a fiddle because she thirsts for love. Her father’s an official, and her mother’s a businesswoman. They don’t have time for her.”

“It’s a blessing and a curse to be born to that family. Good thing we saved her in time and stopped that a*shole from doing further damage.”

“It’s fate. She wouldn’t have picked the lipstick up if she hadn’t run into that burglar. I think even God doesn’t want her to live her life in a lie.”

Trevor was keeping an eye on the surveillance camera footage, and he suddenly exclaimed, “Sh*t! Some underworld guys just smuggled themselves into the homeland.”

Richard came in as well, much to everyone’s shock. Can you stop showing up all of a sudden?

“I want to know who they are,” Richard ordered.

Trevor tapped away on the keyboard and plugged some faces into the recognition system. Their details were shown a moment later. “Highly dangerous individuals. Wanted worldwide.”

Richard frowned. He said, “Tell the dark web we’ve found the lipstick. See if that’ll make them leave.”

“I tried it, but they told us the thief installed a port identification system in the lipstick. They’ll only give up if the lipstick’s unsealed.”

“So Miss Meyers never opened the lipstick!” Jared sighed.

Trevor turned around and rolled his eyes. “Are you stupid? She wouldn’t have thrown it away if she opened it.”

“Good thing she didn’t, or the thief might have found out where the lipstick was right away. Maybe he would have located it before us and put Miss Meyers and her family in danger,” a man with a scar on his forehead said. The man’s name was Willy Josling.

Trevor sighed. “God just saved her again. I guess pretty ladies are always lucky.” Trevor’s eyes shone. “Hey, so that means she’s single! I have a chance at wooing her!”

Someone smacked the back of his head, and that someone said, “Do your job.”

Trevor was annoyed, but he said nothing, since the guy who smacked his head was his captain. He puffed his cheeks and typed on his keyboard, but he muttered, “Are you trying to woo her yourself, captain? Can’t we even think about it?”

“You’re not even close to her league, Trevor. Captain aside, we still have Sean, and he’s hot too,” Jared teased.

Richard didn’t stop them as he was used to his team members’ banter. He then ordered, “I want to see these criminals’ files on my desk in half an hour.” He then left.

Trevor saw him off. Once Richard was gone, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Something’s off with the captain.”

“Did you guys smell a woman’s perfume on him?” Jared had a sensitive nose, and he could smell a lot of stuff most people couldn’t.

“Hey, maybe Miss Meyers hugged him after he cheered her up. Man, I’d love to be in his place. Women need a reliable guy when they’re at their weakest. The captain’s so lucky.” Trevor kept talking while typing. The guy was a loudmouth, but he was also a technology genius, and a reliable one at that.

“I wanna do something nice for once.” Jared was working on another computer, and he smirked.

“What is it?”

“So I watched the footage again, and I saw him giving that woman money. Does that count as prostitution?”

“Yes!” Trevor said.

“Reported. The cops are on their way.”

“Yeah! Got back at him for Miss Meyers! Nice.” Trevor gave him a thumbs up.

Richard went back to his room, which was right next to Angela’s. He was surprised to see that her door was open. He frowned and went inside, but Angela was nowhere to be seen.

He took his phone out and made a call. “Where is she?”

“At the basketball court, captain. She’s crying. She needs you!” Sean said happily.

Richard hung up. He didn’t plan on going to her. Richard was about to close the door, but he pulled his hand back and went to the basketball court. The lights shone on a slender woman on a bench. Her hair tumbled down her shoulder, and she looked like a damsel in distress.

Angela heard the sound of footsteps, and she wiped her tears away as refused to let anyone see her in this state. When she saw who it was, she turned her head away. “You don’t need to try to cheer me up,” she said.

“I’m not. I’m just telling you that your danger level has just gone up. I’ll need to see your parents tomorrow and tell them what happened. I’ll leave some guys behind to protect them.” He stood three feet away from her and crossed his arms. He looked like a mountain, dependent and reliable.

Angela turned around, her eyes red. “Please don’t let anything happen to my dad and mom. I’ll work with you. I won’t run around or cause any trouble.”

“It’s our job.” He was happy that she was starting to be cooperative. He had no time to take care of her, so he needed her to be in his vicinity.

She was starting to feel cold, and she wanted to go back to her room. She heard squeaks when she was going past Richard, and she looked down, only to see a couple of mice run past her feet. A scream arced through the night, and Angela leaped into the air. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs were locked around his waist so she wouldn’t fall. She was hanging on him like a koala bar.

Richard reflexively held her hips to keep her from falling down. The air froze for a few moments, and he asked, “How much longer are you doing this?”

Only then did Angela realize she was hugging him. She coughed awkwardly and let go of his neck, then she jumped down. At the same time, she looked at him closely for the first time. He had a chiseled, handsome face. His brows were sharp, his eyes were deep-set, and his nose was aquiline. His lips were thin but sexy, and he had a perfect jawline that drew people’s eyes down to his neck. He radiated manliness everywhere. He also had an aloof air about him, and his eyes seemed unfathomable.

Richard left before she could finish staring, and she followed him, worried she might run into more mice. This was a dramatic day in her life. She went through a life-and-death situation and had her heart broken just in one day.

Richard went to the Meyers’ place the next morning. He was sitting on the sofa, facing the Meyers couple. Richard told them what happened, and they were horrified. They couldn’t believe their daughter was dragged into something so dangerous by chance.

“Is she hurt, Mr. Lloyd?” Daphne asked quickly.

“She scratched her forehead, but otherwise she’s well. You can’t see her for now, though. Maybe it’ll last for six months. Maybe a year. Leave her to us. We’ll take care of her,” Richard said calmly.

“We trust you. Please take care of our daughter, and sorry for the trouble.” Gilbert was understanding.

“She’s not easy to get along with, so please bear with her. She’s used to the nice life. Please forgive her if she did anything wrong.” Daphne knew her daughter was a handful.

“She’ll work with me. Don’t worry about it.”

“Good. I’ll prepare her clothes. Please take them to her for me.” Daphne then went upstairs.

Gilbert looked at the young man before him. He commented, “I’ve seen you when you were a kid, back at your Grandpa’s house. Time flies.”

“Yeah. I remember you too, Mr. Meyers.”

“I heard you got engaged to Annie. Congrats. Sorry I couldn’t come. I had something to do.”

Richard nodded in understanding. He didn’t want to talk about this too much.

“Please take care of Angela. Her mother and I owe her a lot. We didn’t take good care of her, and now we can’t help her even when she’s in trouble.” Gilbert sighed. He felt really guilty for this.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Tell her we love her very much. Tell her to be brave. We’ll help in the search as well.”

“Of course, Mr. Meyers.” Richard nodded. Just then, his underling reported the progress of the search in the yard. They’ve dug up everywhere, but there were still no signs of the lipstick. The rainstorm that night might have washed it into the ditch, so they had to search underground now. It was a big search, but the lipstick was worth it, and they had to find it. It contained top secret information.

“Thank you. I’m sorry for what Angela did. I can’t believe she threw away something so important, and now she just made things ten times harder for you,” Gilbert apologized.

“She did something good, actually. She took the lipstick back for us and prevented a direct battle with the criminals. She also bought us time. Digging things up isn’t hard,” he explained. If it were not for Angela’s switcheroo, the thieves would have completed their trade that night, and Richard and his men would have to face an even bigger danger.

Gilbert felt a little better hearing that. So she did something good?

Daphne came back with a luggage filled with clothes. She still couldn’t accept that she had to be separated from her daughter at such short notice, and she sighed. “This is her luggage, Mr. Lloyd. Can I call her before she leaves?” Daphne asked.

Richard shook his head. “Sorry. She’s under strict protection. She can’t contact the outside world for now, not even her parents.”

“Alright, enough. Don’t make this hard on him. What’s important is Angela’s safety.” Gilbert patted his wife’s shoulder.

Daphne nodded and put that thought aside.

“Mr. and Mrs. Meyers, please keep Angela’s situation a secret. Don’t tell anyone, not even your own family. Just tell them she’s studying abroad,” Richard told them.

“We’ll do that.”

Since there was nothing else to say, he told his underling to take the luggage away while he went to have a look at the yard. He told the guys there to tell him if they found anything as he needed to escort Angela to a secret base now.

The Meyers saw them off, and Gilbert said, “I almost forgot. Richard is Annie’s fiancé. He’s a brilliant lad.”

Daphne looked surprised. “So he’s the guy your father arranged for Annie?”

“Yep.”

Daphne thought Richard was great too. He was at least a thousand times better than Dexter.

At the same time, Dexter was in trouble. He was detained, since someone reported him on the suspicions of prostitution. The authorities had evidence, and he couldn’t weasel his way out. He didn’t expect that the woman whom he ran into was a repeated offender either. Dexter finally realized how powerful the Meyers were, and he was scared. All his bridges were burned now that Angela knew who he really was.

The first thing he would do after he got out of this place was to give Daphne the 1.5 million back. He didn’t want to get into more trouble. He only dated Angela for her money, but over the last two years,

he got to know her and her family. Her grandfather’s family was filled with government officials, while her mother was a businesswoman, so she grew up without love and companionship. She had everything she wanted in life, but her soul was barren. Because of that, Dexter created a lot of ‘chance encounters’ overseas and portrayed himself as a gentle, caring man who took care of her every need. He made her fall for him through his actions.

Angela fell for him in the end. Just when they were about to get married, Daphne found out and asked him out for a talk. Angela fought her family with him. She wanted to be with Dexter no matter what, and Dexter could see victory in front of him. However, Daphne offered him a million and a half, and that made him waver. Still, his greed got the better of him, and he planned on getting all the Meyers’ wealth. In the end, his efforts were for nothing. He knew Angela well. She was not a weak woman. She just grew up with little to no love, but she was braver than other women.

Angela was spacing out in the room. She spent most of her time studying and bettering herself in the past. There was no time to space out, but things were different now. She could take a break and space out. She didn’t have to worry about her relationship anymore, and it was peaceful.

She was suddenly reminded of something. Annie said she’s engaged. I wonder what her fiancé looks like. They grew up together, and Annie would tell her anything in her life.

Someone knocked on the door, and she opened it to find Richard standing outside. He he said, “Pack up. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?” That’s too short!

“That’s all the time you have. You’re still coming with us even if you aren’t finished,” Richard said imperiously.

Angela blinked. I feel like a soldier now. She nodded. “Fine. I’ll do my best.” She got herself a bag and packed her important stuff up. She also packed her clothes and shoes, of course, then she looked in

the mirror and tied her hair up. She looked at the time again. Two minutes left. She opened the door and came out quickly with her bag. What greeted her were three off-road cars beside the basketball court. Mysterious.

Angela came over, and Trevor opened the door for her happily. “Come in, Miss Meyers.”

Angela looked inside, and there was already somebody there—Richard. Angela got in the car without hesitation. She didn’t buckle herself up after settling in, and Richard looked at her. “Buckle up.”

Angela did as she was told. Trevor got in the car as well and turned around. “I got good news for you, Miss Meyers. Dexter’s arrested.”

Angela looked at him in surprise.”How did you know that?”

“My friend found out he’s involved in prostitution, so we snitched.”

Angela felt better after hearing that. “Thanks for helping.”

“No problem.” Trevor was happy seeing her happy.

The car drove out of the steel gates and headed for the highway, which was some distance away. Angela looked outside the window. She wondered where they were taking her, but she decided not to ask. It wasn’t important. They could take her to the ends of the world, and she wouldn’t care.

“Want a candy, Miss Meyers?” Trevor turned around and handed her a lollipop.

Angela’s eyes shone, and she took it. “Thank you.”

“What about you, captain?” Trevor asked Richard. He had been silent the whole time.

“No,” Richard refused.

Angela noticed that Trevor still had a lollipop in hand, so she took it happily. “I’ll take it for him.” She took it and looked at Richard. He was still as silent as usual. This is gonna be a boring journey. She thought they would stop and have a meal, but the team kept going on and on. There was only bread and water in the car, and they would only stop to change drivers. Angela felt sore a while later, and she was sleepy. Her head would swing around when she was trying to sleep, causing her to feel uncomfortable and dizzy. Finally, she pleaded, “Can I lean on you, Mr. Lloyd?”

Richard looked at the sleepy lady and adjusted his position. Angela moved to the center and leaned on his shoulder, and in a few seconds, she fell asleep.

Trevor looked back and gave Richard a look that said, ‘Nice, captain’.

The journey went on for more than ten hours, and they came into the mountains. They kept going on for god knew how long, and right now, stars were already twinkling in the sky. Angela was jolted awake when the car bumped. She looked outside, but it was dark. Finally, she saw light coming from the top of a mountain, but they were dim. The car drove toward the mountain, and they entered a secret cave. The entrance wasn’t big, but the insides were more than met the eye. It was filled with high-tech stuff, and it was exactly like those secret governmental departments she saw in the movies.

They stopped the car, and Trevor opened the door for her. “We’re here, Miss Meyers. Come with me.”

Angela unbuckled herself and got out of the car. Her legs buckled, and she held the car’s door right away. Trevor gave her time to adjust, and he led her somewhere. “Where are we, Trevor?” she whispered.

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you that. Just know that this will be your home for a while. It’s a safe place.” Trevor could keep a secret when it came to it.

Angela stopped asking. She looked around and thought things were really exciting, though the environment wasn’t the best. Her room was cramped too, and there was only a window in it. She

blinked. My bathroom is bigger than this room.

“Sorry, you have to stay in this coop. You can go back once things calm down, Miss Meyers,” he apologized.

“It’s alright. I can live anywhere.” She chuckled before she asked, “So, where’s the bathroom?”

“Go straight and turn left. There’s a public bathroom and restroom there.”

“It’s public?” Angela’s eyes widened further. Wow. This place is tougher than I imagined.

“The captain has his own bathroom. You can use it if you want. Just ask for his permission. Only people with his rank get their own bathrooms here.” Trevor smiled.

Angela blinked. I hope he’ll let me use his bathroom. I’m so not used to public ones. “So where’s Mr. Lloyd’s room?”

“Just turn right. It’s the fifth room from here.”

“Thanks.” She sat on the bed. Angela thought she smelled like gas after staying in the car for a day. It was unacceptable for a mysophobe like her. I gotta see if Richard will let me use his bathroom. She opened the closet and noticed a lot of clothes in there. Daphne had packed a ton of clothes for her, and all of them were expensive. There were even a few silk pajamas inside. She picked some casual clothes and hung the rest of her luggage in the closet, then she decided to go to Richard. Angela went down the corridor and knocked on the fifth room’s door.

She heard footsteps coming from within before someone opened the door. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.

Richard was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, and his towel hung around his neck. Beads of water dripped down his hair, and he was naked from the waist up. His collarbone looked sharp, his chest was

puffy, and his abs were chiseled. There were a few scars on them, but he looked perfectly muscular. He’s better than most models.

Angela stared at him brazenly for a long time.

He frowned in the end. “Do you need anything?”

“Um, can I use your bathroom?” she asked.

Richard thought about it for a few moments and moved aside. He agreed to it.

Angela went inside. The room smelled like men, causing her heart to skip a beat and her to blush. His room wasn’t big, but he had a small living room and a regular bathroom. There was also a queen-sized bed too. It was far better than her room.

What caught her eye was the tall bookshelf in the living room. It was filled with books, and judging from their titles, she could see that this room was made for him. He wasn’t here for a short stay. What kind of rank does he have? Why does he get to live in a room like this? She had a lot of questions, but she went to the bathroom instead. It still had a little steam inside, and it smelled like Richard. Angela used his slippers and washed herself with his shampoo and body wash. Only the towel and face wash were hers.

Richard changed into a casual shirt and was reading on the couch. He was interested in this philosophy of psychology book, but for some reason, the sound of running water in the bathroom distracted him as he couldn’t focus on the book.

Angela felt shy taking a shower in his bathroom for some reason. The air was filled with his scent, and she felt hotter with every passing moment. She felt lucky that she never had sex with Dexter. She didn’t mind it back when she was in love with him, but she was thankful that Dexter kept refusing because she would have had sex with someone who was just using her.

According to Dexter, he wanted to save sex for marriage. She thought he must really love her to keep his urges under check. However, now she thought he must be hiding something from her. Maybe he has STDs. Thank god I didn’t have sex with him.

Angela washed her hair. She loved being clean, so she bathed and washed her hair almost every day. She came out all changed, and her hair was covered in her towel. Her face was pink from the steam, highlighting her beauty. Her wet hair only made her face look smaller, and her features more striking. “Do you have a hair dryer?” she asked Richard.

Richard frowned. It’s already midnight. Did she have to wash her hair at this hour? “No!” he answered curtly.

“So who has one?” Angela kept asking.

“We don’t have hair dryers here,” Richard said, sounding annoyed.

Angela’s mind was blown. What? How can I dry my hair without a hair dryer? It’s late, and I don’t have the sun to help me! My hair’s gonna smell if I don’t dry it. “Please, can you get me a hair dryer? Please?” She sat down beside him and looked at him with an unspoken plea in her eyes.

Richard could smell her scent the moment she approached him, and he held his breath and moved to the side.

Angela froze for a few moments. D-Do I smell? He looks disgusted. She raised her arm and smelled herself. I smell like body wash. I made sure I cleaned myself. “Please, Mr. Lloyd. I can’t go to bed with wet hair. I’m going to wake up with a headache. You don’t want that to happen, do you? It’ll be trouble,” she kept persuading.

Richard closed the book and looked at her. He chided, “You wouldn’t have washed your head if you just thought about it a little.”

What? I couldn’t have known you guys don’t have any hair dryers. That’s not my fault. She looked down, frustrated and speechless.

Richard put his book down and left his room.

Angela blinked. She had a feeling he was getting a hair dryer for her. She liked staying in his room compared to her little coop. She picked a few books from his bookshelf while he was gone. Wow, he reads complex books. Math, physics, philosophy, and even psychology? He has everything. Never thought he’d love books. I thought he liked weapons more. Angela read one of the books to pass the time. Eventually, Richard came back with a hair dryer, much to her delight. “Thanks, Mr. Lloyd.”

Richard handed it to her and went back to his book, while Angela went into the bathroom to dry her hair. It felt great.

After she came out from the bathroom, she asked, “So where did you get this?” She was smiling.

“I borrowed it,” Richard said.

Angela’s smile froze. At this hour? Did he ask a lady for this? Must have been awkward for him. “Thanks.” She put the hair dryer down. “Can you get me one next time?”

Richard looked up. Angela’s fluffy and slightly messy hair tumbled down to her waist. It covered her face, and she looked like a girl who was about to make out with her boyfriend. Things were starting to get a little hot for a certain someone.

Richard did not realize that his gaze lingered on her face for several seconds longer.

“Okay,” he responded simply.

“I’ll head to bed now. Good night.” Angela waved at him before leaving with her clothes. She did not notice that she dropped an article of clothing as she exited the bathroom.

When Richard set his book down and prepared to shower before bed, his eyes were drawn to something pink on the floor. He instinctively reached down to pick it up.

All at once, his eyes quivered.

It was a woman’s underwear.

He tossed it into the laundry basket. His heart was beating a little quicker than usual as he thought to himself, What a clumsy and forgetful woman!

Meanwhile, she returned to her room and proceeded to lay in bed. From her position, she could look out the window and spot the full moon outside. It’s so beautiful, she thought to herself in surprise.

This was something she never got to see, whether back in her home or while overseas, but here, she could enjoy all the beautiful things around her in peace.

Angela slept very soundly that night, but she jolted awake some hours later when she heard a piercing sound of a whistle coming from outside all of a sudden. She shot up in bed at once. It was at the start of dawn with the barest glimmer of light, but the field beyond the window was abuzz with activity.

She knew that this place was run like a military base. When she opened the door and looked out the entrance, the thick fog blocked everyone from sight, but she knew there were people gathered in the field.

Soon, she heard the sound of people running, and it quickly faded off into the distance. She blinked and basked in the atmosphere around her. The mountains were alive even at dawn while birds filled the air with their chatter, and it made her one with nature.

A shadowy silhouette then zoomed past her before turning back. The person asked, “Miss Meyers, would you like to go running too?”

It was Trevor who asked. He woke up late and missed out on joining the rest of the troops, so he decided to run alone.

Angela was wide awake by now, and Trevor’s words piqued her interest. Thinking about all the running she did abroad, she figured she should be able to handle a morning run, so she nodded. “Sure. I’ll come with you.”

Trevor was thrilled. The run would be a lot more enjoyable if he had a pretty woman running with him.

They ran by the side of the road beneath the canopy of trees. It was an ordinary dirt lane that weaved through the mountains and not the usual roads made of asphalt or concrete, so it was a different kind of experience altogether.

Angela was pretty pumped by the run. Taking deep breaths of the fresh mountain air made her feel like her lungs had been thoroughly cleansed.

She did not know how far she had run, but sure enough, she reached a point where she could no longer keep up. Between her panting, she asked, “Trevor, how much farther are we going?”

“We’re not even a third of the way yet!” Trevor replied.

“Seriously?” Angela’s expression fell. She stared out into the fog in front of them, but she could not see more than a dozen feet in front of her. The rest was all a blur of white.

“Miss Meyers, if you can’t continue, then let’s head back now! I’ll lead the way for you.” Trevor was afraid she could not take it anymore if they continued running forward.

Therefore, Angela and Trevor started making their way back. Trevor even plucked some wild fruits for her to try. They tasted both sweet and sour and were very appetizing.

The two of them laughed and joked along the way. When they were nearly back at the main entrance, Angela slipped and stumbled into Trevor’s back. After grabbing his waist to keep herself steady, she began to laugh brightly.

Trevor held her hand and helped her out of the wet, slippery patch of road, but just then, he felt someone staring at him. After glancing at who it was, he quickly released Angela’s hand.

Approximately thirty feet in front of them, Richard stood in silence with his eyes fixed on them.

His face was expressionless, but Trevor felt goosebumps anyway.

“Richard, Miss Meyers followed me out for a run but she could not keep up anymore so I walked her back,” Trevor explained at once.

Angela glanced at Trevor, who seemed rather anxious. Could it be because she had held him up when he was supposed to be doing his morning practice, and that made Richard angry?

“It’s not Trevor’s fault. I’m the one who wanted to join him, and I’m the one who forced him to turn back halfway,” she added in Trevor’s defense.

Richard swept his gaze across the two of them before saying to Trevor, “Continue your run.”

Trevor did not dare to protest. He waved to Angela with a smile. “I’ll carry on with my run, Miss Meyers. Have a good rest!”

Angela felt a little bad as she watched Trevor running off into the distance. She turned to Richard and said a little begrudgingly, “He ran all the way there and back with me, but you’re asking him to do another run now. Will he be alright?”

“This is between me and my subordinate, Miss Meyers. You should stay out of it,” Richard retorted coolly.

Angela bit her lip in slight embarrassment, but she did feel bad for Trevor.

She headed for the canteen. Everyone probably heard about her already, as they greeted her and were very courteous toward her.

After breakfast, she realized that she did not have a phone, a laptop, or even Internet access. It was like she had gone back in time and was living in the old, pre-Internet days. She was far too bored in her room, so she decided to take a tour around the place.

Angela chose a small path to follow. After walking about for a while, she heard someone calling out to her. She turned to look and saw two men walking over with their hands full of freshly-hunted wild rabbits.

“You must be Miss Meyers!”

“Yes, that’s me. Did you guys go hunting?” Angela was full of curiosity.

“Yup! There are a lot of wild rabbits around here, so we decided to catch a few to add to the menu,” the older man said.

The other man looked a little younger. He blushed at the sight of Angela and was too embarrassed to talk.

They all considered Angela a gorgeous woman whom they rarely had the fortune to meet in person. She was even more beautiful than movie stars and other celebrities.

“Where does this path lead to? I’d like to take a walk,” Angela asked.

“It leads to the back of the mountain, which is a pretty rocky area. You need to be careful.”

“I will!” Angela flashed a grateful smile at them.

“You shouldn’t wander off too far either. I’m worried that you might get lost.”

Angela nodded in agreement. She was just taking a walk out of boredom, and she had complete faith in her sense of direction, so she doubted that she would get lost in the woods like some sort of cliche.

Therefore, she continued down the path at leisure. She even spotted the wild white olives that Trevor had plucked for her earlier. The sweet and sour taste had really grown on her.

Unfortunately, this particular tree did not have that many ripe ones. It took Angela quite some time to find one that was ripe enough for her to eat. She felt pretty blissful as she munched on it.

She continued down the path, and soon enough, she arrived at a rocky plain.

Meanwhile, at the base’s main entrance, Richard walked out in search of Angela as he received some new information that required him to ask her a few questions.

“Has anyone seen Angela?” Richard asked the people who were walking into the base. The two men who went rabbit-hunting were among them, so one of them quickly responded, “Captain Lloyd, I saw Miss Meyers heading off on a walk to the back of the mountain.”

Richard felt his head throbbing slightly as he exhaled. She was indeed a troublesome woman. Could she not just stay in her room and read a book or two? The back of the mountain was full of sharp, jagged rocks. It was not somewhere she should be running off to for some fun.

He immediately headed over to the path that led to the back of the mountain.

This was Angela’s first time seeing such rocky mounds. She spotted a few boulders that looked quite flat, so she decided to try climbing up the side of the rocky mounds.

Perhaps most people enjoyed taking risks in some ways, and she was certainly one of them. She wanted to challenge herself and see if she could climb up the rocky mound. Moreover, the wildflowers

growing out of the side of the rocky ridges at the top looked quite pretty. She wanted to head up and take a closer look at them.

Angela stepped on one of the rocks and grabbed another one for stability. Soon, she climbed up what seemed like an already-trodden path that someone else must have used to climb up as well.

She climbed and climbed and slowly began to realize that while it might have looked simple, it was far more exhausting than she expected. Soon, she could no longer find any footholds to step on either. It felt like there was no way for her to climb any further up.

Suddenly, someone barked at her, “What are you doing?”

“Ah!” Angela got a fright. At the same time, she lost her grip and her feet slipped off the rocks as well, and she ended up falling from a height of about ten feet.

The man who called out to her immediately sprinted over to catch her, but he was too late. Angela crashed to the ground, spraining her ankle when she landed. She instantly cried out in pain.

Thankfully, Angela fell onto a soft patch of grass and did not end up with any internal injuries. She cupped her hands around her ankle and glared at the man who gave her a terrible fright. “Can you not just call out like that? You scared me half to death!”

Richard was a little vexed with himself too. When he saw her hanging dangerously on the side of the rocky cliff, his only thought was to stop her from climbing further, and he never thought he would scare her into falling off instead.

He bent down and checked her ankle.

“Ouch… It hurts…” Angela had sprained her left ankle.

“Stop running around for no good reason. You should have some self-awareness about your abilities.” Richard frowned. He was furious that she attempted to do such a dangerous thing. After all, he promised that he would take good care of her and return her safely to her parents once everything blew over.

“Believe it or not, but I’m sure I could’ve climbed up to the top. Stop looking down on me, okay?” Angela was full of confidence in herself. If he had not frightened her by calling out to her, she would have climbed up to the top by now.

Angela brushed the grass off her clothes. There were a few blades of grass stuck in her hair, but she could not see them. Richard could see them clearly, but he hesitated, not knowing if he should take them out for her.

Still, it did look pretty weird to have a few blades of dried grass stuck in her hair, so he decided to take them off for her out of the kindness of his heart.

“What are you doing?” Angela stared at him warily. There was no one around them, so what if he tried to do something bad to her?

Richard ignored her question. He simply plucked the blades of dried grass out of her hair and showed them to her before tossing them aside.

Angela flushed red at once. Oh gosh! What was I thinking? He gave off an air of aloofness and self- restraint, so he would not be the kind of man to jump on a woman like that. She was overthinking it.

She wondered if he had a girlfriend. He was probably at an age where he should be getting married.

Though she was itching to find out, she decided against voicing it out loud. He might not even respond to her question anyway.

“I’m injured. Can you help me up? Of course, I won’t object to an offer of a piggyback,” Angela said to Richard.

He glanced at her before squatting down in front of her. He did not mind giving her a piggyback ride.

Angela’s heart skipped a beat. He’s really going to carry me on his back? After taking a close look at his wide and muscular back, she climbed onto him a little shyly and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck. He swiftly stood up with her clinging to him like a koala.

This had to be the strongest back she had ever ridden on.

“Why did you come looking for me?” Angela asked out of curiosity. Was it because he was worried about her safety?

“There’s something I need to ask you.” Richard was feeling a little awkward with her on his back. This was the first time he ever carried a woman—previously, he only ever carried his military colleagues and subordinates.

She was very light, and her body felt very soft. His senses were heightened as she stuck close to him.

“What did you want to ask me?”

“We’ll talk about it when we get back.”

Angela was feeling a little bored again. Suddenly, she spotted another wild white olive tree with several ripened olives hanging from its branches, so she quickly said, “Richard, there’s a white olive tree over there. Go over and pluck some for me!”

Richard looked over and saw the ripened fruit on the tree as Angela continued to plead, “Hurry up and get a few for me! They taste so good! Trevor plucked a few for me this morning but I haven’t had my fill yet!”

In the end, Richard did set her down and head over to get some of it for her. Angela’s heart grew a little warm. He looked so cold and distant all the time, but whenever she asked him to do something for her, he never protested or tried to wheedle out of it.

She thought about Dexter, who always said the right things, but now that she thought about it, a guy like Richard who kept quiet and did as she asked was far more reliable. A guy like Dexter was as fake as could be, so why was she so blind back then?

It was easy enough for Richard to pluck a few ripened ones for her. When he handed it over to her, she spotted the clear stream that was flowing nearby and asked, “Could you help me wash them first?”

Richard did not complain about her seemingly endless requests. He went over and washed them before holding them out to her yet again.

Angela took them from him and climbed back onto his back. There she was, leaning against his back, eating her white olives and listening to the birds singing their songs. Somehow, it all felt very romantic to her.