Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 911-920

Chapter 911-920

Ariel was using an interrogative tone toward Angela because Angela was three years younger than her. Angela was 24 years old this year, whereas Ariel was already 27.

“You misunderstood. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just staying here for a while,” Angela answered calmly.

“Are you and Captain Lloyd really dating? From what I heard, you aren’t lovers.” Ariel was so angry about last night that the first thing she did in the morning was to inquire about Angela and Richard— only to find out that they were just flirting with each other. They had never publicized their relationship status.

“How would others know about our personal affairs?” Angela did not want to be pestered by Ariel, so after she finished talking, she turned and was about to return to the dormitory.

Ariel could not help but turn her head and gaze at Angela’s back. “I quite like Captain Lloyd.”

Angela was upset when she heard Ariel’s declaration and turned to look at Ariel with a visibly dismayed look. Naturally, Ariel caught her expression and asked arrogantly, “What’s with that face? Are you the only one allowed to like him and no one else?”

Angela was reduced to silence for a moment before she replied with a smile, “Then, I advise you not to waste time; he won’t like you.” She was not sure what had transpired, but at that moment, she was absolutely sure about what she had said.

Ariel obviously did not think Angela’s reply was convincing, so she smiled confidently. “Nothing’s ever certain. How do you know that Captain Lloyd won’t ever like me?” Ariel combed her long hair using her fingers to reveal her delicate makeup; under the sun, Angela could see that Ariel had a stunning face.

When Angela was faced with her beauty, she felt anxious. After all, she was only worried because she did not know Richard well. Besides, she and Richard had just started making some progress, and it was easy to fall into a state of emotional unease at this stage. As such, she left without giving Ariel a response.

Until Richard gave her enough security, or if they knew each other better, Ariel’s words would be a thorn in the flesh for Angela. Angela went back to the room and sat there for a while. During her time here, there was no entertainment and noise from the outside world; there were only quiet mornings with the sounds and scents of nature.

Then, she left the compound to go for a walk along the path leading to the mountain spring pool. She picked wildflowers, tied them into a bouquet, and played with them in her hand.

Suddenly, she heard a chirping sound from above. She could not help but look up and see a hatchling with just fuzzy feathers entangled by tree vines. One of its wings was caught in the vine and could not be pulled out.

The hatchling might have accidentally fallen from its nest at the top of the tree, and now it was making helpless and pitiful chirping noises. It was apparent that it had been struggling there for a long time but could not save itself. Even if it managed to entangle itself from the tree vine, it would fall to the ground and never be able to return to its nest.

“Poor little guy.” Angela placed the bouquet down on the grass, and her first thought that popped up was to save it. She looked at the tree pole as she thought of how to rescue the baby bird. Unfortunately, the hatchling was at least three meters from the ground, so she had no choice but to climb the tree to save it.

There were many tiny tree knots under the thick tree pole, which aided her in climbing up. She didn’t hesitate to climb the tree as she could not just sit there and watch the hatchling struggle in vain. She

stretched her hand to cling to the trunk quite awkwardly and stepped on the small knots to move upwards. Her heart skipped a beat when she glanced up to determine its position again. It seemed that she had to climb onto a diverged tree branch before reaching it.

“Little guy, give me a little more time, okay? I’ll be able to save you soon,” she spoke in a comforting voice while cautiously climbing upward. The branch was thick but had no vines between her position and the hatchling’s. She had no choice but to climb to another higher branch; she needed to leverage herself to walk on a branch under the one she had set her sights on.

She walked across the branch carefully and soon arrived at where the hatchling was. At that moment, she gave up clinging to the branch above, slowly lowering her body and hugging the branch under her feet shakily. Then, she reached out to untangle the hatchling’s wings. The little guy immediately spread its wings and jumped to the ground.

As Angela witnessed the hatchling fall in front of her eyes, she got so terrified that she instinctively reached out her arms to catch it. However, her conditioned response did her no good; not only was she not able to catch it, but she also slid down. “Ahhh—” At once, she hugged the tree pole tightly. The hatchling fell onto a thicket of small trees; on the contrary, she was the one who was in distress.

She lowered her head and stared at the ground, not daring to let go of the tree pole and jump down ten feet for fear that she might hurt her bottom or sprain her foot. But then, she was stuck clinging to the tree pole. Now what? What should I do?

Her grip strength was by no means on par with a gymnast, and it was evident that she would not be able to support herself for much longer. She could only think of one single way to rescue herself from that situation—she must call for help. Hopefully, her cry could attract a kind passerby to come to her aid.

“Help! Help! Someone please help me!” The damsel was in distress.

At the same time, the team that had just finished running was lining up on the sports field. Richard, the team leader, suddenly heard a faint cry for help. Moreover, he quickly realized that the voice belonged to Angela. As soon as this thought crossed his mind, his pupils constricted, and in the next second, he was already rushing in Angela’s direction.

“What’s wrong with Mr. Richard? Where is he going?”

“Not sure. He’s heading toward the mountain spring’s direction, though.”

“Could it be that something has happened to Miss Meyers? Hurry up! Follow him!” Trevor and Jared left the lining team at once and followed in the same direction as Richard.

Meanwhile, Angela was still clinging to the tree, trying her best to utilize her fading strength. She could feel that she was getting exhausted, and she might fall any time soon. She kept on crying for help. “Help! Anyone!”

Just when she was on the brink of giving up, she picked up a patter of footsteps. Oh, praise the Lord! Finally, someone heard her calling for help! She looked in that direction, and just around the corner, she saw a man running. Richard!

From afar, he could see Angela clinging to the tree, and his heart tightened suddenly.

“Richard!” Angela exclaimed in joy and completely forgot the peculiar situation she was in; she let go of the tree pole and fell down the next second. “Ah—”

It was almost at the same time as she fell that he moved swiftly toward her, opened his arms, and caught her firmly. Richard glanced down and saw her pale face as she was so terrified. Before she could react, she was already wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Knowing it was Richard, she refused to let go of him; she happily hugged him and

“Can’t you try to live a peaceful life?” He could be heard panting heavily; it was evident that he ran as fast as he could. Listening to his strong heartbeat, Angela looked up; she felt sorry for making him feel worried, and she wanted to compensate him in her own way.

She held his face with both her hands and pressed her red lips against Richard’s thin lips of her own accord. Immediately, he felt his body turn tense as he was not expecting such a move from her. She looked into his eyes innocently and apologized, “I’m sorry! Don’t be angry, please…”

But the kiss did not do the trick—his gaze did not soften and was sharp as a knife. Hmm… Shall I give him two kisses then, since one was not enough? While she was pondering upon her next move, he freed one of his hands which was holding her waist, and placed it at the back of her head. He applied some force, and her face moved in his direction; as she got nearer, he kissed her in such an overbearing manner.

Angela was taken aback by such a strong response from him. The way he kissed her carried some element of punishment—his tongue was domineering as he tried to despoil every part of her mouth. She was blushing, and her breath was chaotic. It was the first time he initiated a kiss; it was domineering and tough, just like his usual way of doing things.

What was even more equivocal was that he carried her with one hand—a man without enough arm strength could not hold on to this position for long.

At the corner, Trevor and Jared arrived to see the man and woman kissing while bathing in the morning light.

Trevor and Jared were dumbfounded; it turned out that they need not run all the way to help out, looking at how ‘romantic’ the situation was. By the way, what on earth is Mr. Richard doing? He never showed interest in women before.

The pair looked at each other and decided to leave silently—the scene of them forcibly showing off their romance in the presence of two single men was not what they were willing to see early in the morning.

The morning light cast a layer of halo on Richard and Angela. He finally let go of her, and as she was feeling shy, she continued burrowing her face in his neck. It was only after a while that she raised her head, looked at him tenderly, and smirked. His handsome face was also a little red from the shyness, but he did not avoid her gaze. As he sized her up and gazed at her soft red lips, he even wanted to continue where they left off.

He was actually shocked by his own behavior just now; he was not able to control his desire to kiss her. His restraint and wit disappeared, and he could only focus on the alluring woman in his arms.

“Put me down,” Angela requested. Richard had no choice but to obey, and just as he was about to give her a hand, he saw her immediately turn around and squat down, looking for something.

“What are you looking for?” he asked in a low voice.

“There’s a hatchling that still hasn’t grown enough feathers. It was entangled by a vine. When I tried rescuing it, it fell somewhere around here,” she said anxiously.

He was made speechless. He would have never thought she climbed a tree disregarding her safety, just to save a bird. Had he not heard her cry for help, she would have fallen from the tree, and at that height, she would definitely hurt herself.

Suddenly, Angela laughed. “It’s here!” She stood up, carefully holding the hatchling in her hand, only to see it palpitating its short white feathers.

“Aw, how cute is this?” she asked while holding the hatchling closer to him.

As Richard was unaffected by such cuteness, his expression remained cold, and he ordered her solemnly, “Don’t ever disregard your own safety anymore in the future. Nothing is more important than your life.”

Hearing that, she bit her lip, and she immediately took the hatchling back into her arms for fear that he would crush it to death in a second. Predictably, his voice was icy. “Throw it away.”

She glanced at him, feeling wronged. “Why? It doesn’t make sense! I took the trouble to rescue it, and now I have to throw it away. You see, its nest is right there on the tree.”

As she was saying that, she pointed at the clearly visible bird nest on the branch. Following her hand, he looked at the nest and then glanced at the woman who was looking at the nest eagerly in front of him. Don’t tell me she wants to climb the tree and put the bird where it belongs.

Richard made a decision at that moment; he was going to choose the lesser of the two evils. He stretched his hands and tried to take the bird away. “Give it to me.”

“What are you trying to do? You can’t kill it!” Angela was certain that he was going to do that.

“I’ll put it back to where it belongs.” His voice softened a bit.

“Promise me that you’ll not kill it.” She needed his assurance before handing the hatchling to him as he still looked fierce.

“I promise,” he said in a low voice while looking a little helpless.

With his assurance, she carefully placed the hatchling on his palm; she saw him hold the bird and walk toward the tree pole. Seeing that he was about to climb the tree, she hurriedly said, “Be careful.” She had to admit that his tree climbing skill was quite good; in a blink of an eye, he had already put the bird back to its nest, and from that position, he jumped to the ground.

Angela was dumbfounded. Is he a monkey?

“Let’s go back!” Richard glanced at her and walked along the path that would lead them back home. It was only then did she realize the reason he was angry just now; he was worried about her safety and took his anger out on the hatchling; instead, she blamed him for being cruel.

“I’m sorry about what happened just now,” she apologized and hung her head in shame. As he heard that, he halted his steps and turned around, causing her to bump into him.

Just as she was about to take a step back, his arm wrapped around her waist domineeringly. She raised her head, and her eyes met the gaze of another pair of eyes that were as deep as night. She could almost see the glittering light at the bottom of his eyes.

“Promise me that you won’t risk your life so easily next time,” he commanded in a deep voice, serious and firm.

It was the first time Angela had received such a demand that it imprinted onto her soul. She nodded and said, “I promise.”

“Your life is very important,” said Richard, emphasizing once again.

It felt like he was confessing to her. As she bit her lips, the woman looked down and asked, “Is my life that important to you?”

His voice reverberated above her as he said with conviction, “Yes.”

Her heart pounded when she heard that, so Angela threw herself into his embrace and hugged him. “Alright, I will make sure to be safe and not let you worry ever again.”

Surprised, he paused for a few seconds but quickly looked down at the girl in his arms and gently caressed her head. His dark eyes were filled with conflicting thoughts of restraint, affection, and

anticipation.

Angela still had her head down. If she had raised her head, she would have seen the emotions in his eyes. Right at that moment, footsteps were heard behind them and she left his embrace to keep her distance.

He pulled a face at her withdrawal and stared ahead as his two teammates walked in. When they rounded the corner, they were scared upon seeing Richard and Angela standing there. After noticing the glower on Richard’s face, they let out a dry laugh. “W-We’ve made a wrong turn. We’ll be on our way now!” Both of them bumped into each other as they scrambled to leave.

Angela could not hold it in and laughed out loud. It seemed like they were more awkward than she was.

She then grabbed onto the hand of the man beside her. “Let’s head back.”

Richard let her lead the way back. She walked happily in front of him as if she had conquered a mad lion and felt an odd sense of accomplishment.

However, Angela let go of him when they reached the entrance of the base. She did not want to let the others know they were dating and become the center of attention, after all.

“You’re back, Captain Lloyd!” Ariel wore a red bodycon dress and looked like a red rose, making her look especially eye-catching.

It was obvious she was trying to get Richard’s attention. When Angela saw that, she became angry and tried to grab the man’s attention as well.

“Captain Lloyd, I heard you’ve got lots of books in your room. It’s really boring here. Can I go to your room and borrow a few?” Ariel asked earnestly.

Angela chuckled. “He doesn’t have the time for that. What do you want to read? I’ll go with you.”

“It’s alright, Miss Meyers. I can get them myself,” Ariel muttered unhappily.

“It’s not convenient for you to enter my room,” Richard replied to Ariel coldly as he guided Angela away with his hands on her shoulder. He did not even spare a moment to look at the other woman.

Defiance flashed in Ariel’s eyes as Richard’s reaction only triggered her competitive side. She would not give up as she believed that all men would fall to their knees before her.

On the other hand, Angela did not return to her room and instead hung out in Richard’s room while he went to a meeting. She could not sit still; she would be on the couch, but moments later, she’d sprawl across the bed or lie on her stomach while smiling to herself.

All she could think about was Richard’s kiss this morning, and she called it his ‘dominant kiss’. He was domineering and rough, but she liked it a lot. As she recalled the kiss, she could not help but burrow her face in the sheets and giggled like a schoolgirl.

However, as soon as she came to her senses, she propped her head on one hand and started to worry. Richard was engaged; what she did had crossed a line, and she felt guilty about it. As long as he had not broken off the engagement, she was in the wrong.

Meanwhile, Richard was having an online meeting with his subordinates in the conference room. On the wall, the projector was showing the scene of another meeting area. Inside, there were people of different ages discussing a new emergency.

“Captain Lloyd, we’ve got orders that you can’t join this mission,” one of the older men said.

“Why is that so?” Richard narrowed his cold eyes.

“It’s an order from above. We didn’t ask for the specific reason.”

He shut his eyes for a short while and pondered. An order from above… Grandpa has retired, though. Who exactly is meddling with my mission?

“Alright, you guys go ahead with the mission. Report to me immediately if there’s any progress.”

“Understood. We hope that Captain Lloyd believes in our abilities to complete it exceptionally.”

“I do.” Richard nodded in approval.

After the meeting, four of Richard’s subordinates remained seated and stole glances at him as he was deep in thought. After a moment, he asked them to leave. “Please leave the room. I need to make a call.”

The four of them immediately stood up and left. In the quiet conference room, Richard was scrolling through his contacts and stopped on a number he had not contacted for a long time. Then, he called the number without hesitation.

“Hello!” A greeting came through. The man’s voice was deep and magnetic, and he had an aura of superiority.

“Are you the one interfering with my mission?” Richard rubbed his brows and spat the question out.

“Yes, you’re not fit for this mission.”

“Why am I not fit for it?”

“It’s related to your father’s death.”

His expression turned cold, and intense hatred could be seen in his eyes. The sounds of his joints cracking could be heard as he clenched his fists on the table.

“Let me join the mission.” Richard took a deep breath and pleaded with the man.

“No can do,” answered the person determinedly.

Furious, Richard sprang up and shouted into the phone, “Uncle, this is my only chance of avenging Dad. Why are you stopping me?”

“That’s because you’re the only son your mom has, and you are my only nephew. I can’t let you be in danger,” the man answered him calmly.

“What if I don’t agree to it?”

“If you disobey my order, I’ll transfer you back here and swap your position into a sinecure.”

Richard’s eyes were filled with struggle and reluctance upon hearing that threat. He growled into the phone and said, “Just because you’re the vice president doesn’t mean that you can threaten me like this.”

“I’m doing this because I’m your uncle. Even though I’m only four years older, I am still your elder. There won’t be any further discussion on this matter. I have a meeting to attend,” Richard’s uncle said assertively and hung up the phone.

Richard huffed and pounded his fist against the table, creating a crack in the sturdy marbletop. He gripped his hair and furrowed his eyebrows in pain. He looked at his phone once again and picked it up. After he found the number, he took a deep breath and made the call.

“Hello! Is that you, Richard?” A female’s gentle voice came through.

“Mom, it’s me. Am I disturbing you?” Richard asked softly. The way they spoke did not feel like how a mother and son would normally interact—it was distant.

“No, I’ve been hoping you’d call! I’ve missed your voice,” she replied with her lovely, soothing voice.

“Please ask uncle to stop interfering with my job.” Richard’s sole purpose of calling was only because of work.

“It’s not his fault; I asked him to do that. My only request is to stop you from joining missions related to your dad.”

“Why?”

“I lost your dad. Do I have to lose you too?” Her voice was filled with pain and remorse.

“I want to go. Please let me kill that monster and avenge Dad.”

“Richard, that’s exactly why I don’t want you to go. You’d lose your mind, good judgment, and even your life too,” answered the lady sobbingly on the other end of the line. “I just want you to be alive.”

Tears brimmed Richard’s eyes as the sounds of his mother sobbing softened his vengeful heart. He comforted her and said, “I promise you that nothing will happen to me.”

“Don’t make it hard for your uncle, alright? He’s just complying with my request.”

“How is Granddad?” Richard asked with concern.

“He’s not feeling quite well after the surgery, so he’s currently on bed rest. Come and visit him if you have time. He’s been talking about wanting to see you.”

“Okay, I’ll visit when I have time,” he answered.

“Richard, I heard from your grandpa that there are talks about an arranged marriage. Let me know when you are meeting her parents; I want to meet your fiancee as well.”

At that, Angela came to his mind instead of Annie, but he had not thought about marriage yet. “We’ll talk about this later, Mom. I’m not in a rush to get married.”

“Your grandpa is, though. You’re not that young anymore—you’re already twenty-nine.”

“Mom, I’m still on a mission. I’ll go home when I have time. Take care, alright?” Richard said hastily and hung up the phone before he could receive a response.

He was only two when his father passed away. His mother decided to remarry into a noble family to save his granddad’s business and became a well-known madam in the country. However, she did not give birth to another child and threw herself into charity work.

Richard did not resent his mother because he knew it was tough for her, and she had no choice but to do what she did to help his granddad.

Compared to his father’s side of the family, his mother’s side of the family was even bigger. His uncle was the vice president of a company, and his granddad held an important position comparable to that of his grandpa. Nonetheless, Richard never spoke about his family. Whatever he achieved today was all due to his hard work. At times, he wished he had an ordinary family so his parents would be by his side and lead a peaceful life.

When he left the conference room, his four subordinates were drinking coffee in the lounge beside it. When they saw him leave, they gulped. It was obvious Richard was in a bad mood.

“Should we ask Miss Meyers to comfort him?”

“It’s probably better to let him have some time alone.”

Indeed, that was what Richard wanted. He exited the base’s entrance to get some fresh air outside. Not far away, Ariel spotted him.

Wherever Richard stood, he would garner attention especially since he was tall and attractive. His charming aura made women flock after him with just a glance.

Ariel tidied herself up a bit and gracefully walked toward Richard. “What a coincidence meeting you here, Captain Lloyd!” she said with a sweet smile and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Richard turned his head and looked at her. “Can I help you, Miss Graham?”

“I heard the view over there is pretty nice, but I’m afraid to go alone. Do you have time to accompany me for a walk?” She looked at him pleadingly and tried to act cute.

He pointed his finger at a passing teammate, and the young man ran over immediately. “Captain Lloyd.”

“Keep Miss Graham company and go for a walk there,” Richard ordered.

The smile on Ariel’s face froze, for she could not believe that he had asked a random person to accompany her. She wanted him and did not need anyone else’s company, after all.

“It’s fine, Captain Lloyd. I’ll just stay here and talk to you!” Ariel awkwardly refused.

Impatience flashed across his face at her disturbance. The man frowned and said, “I don’t have time to chat. It would be better for you to look for someone else.”

With that, he turned in a different direction and left. Ariel stomped her feet and wondered what she was lacking compared to Angela.

“Miss Graham, do you still need me to accompany you for a walk?” The young teammate waited with a smile on his face.

“No, it’s fine. You must be busy. Carry on with your duties.” Ariel did not want to waste time.

The teammate got the cue and left her alone. Then, a plot popped into her mind as she looked in the direction Richard left. Ariel was familiar with the place, so she decided to come from the other direction

and make it seem like she merely bumped into him by chance.

Meanwhile, Angela was getting bored inside the room. She looked at the time and realized it was almost time for lunch, but Richard had yet to return.

Is he not done with the meeting?

She opened the door and came out to see Trevor walking toward her. She then went up to him and asked, “Where’s Captain Lloyd?”

“Hi, Miss Meyers. Has he not returned to his room yet?”

“Nope.”

“He left the conference room ten minutes ago, but he didn’t look too happy. Perhaps he went for a walk.” Trevor took a guess.

Hearing that, her eyes widened. “He didn’t look too happy? Why?”

“It might be because of his family, but we didn’t probe into it, Miss Meyers. Why don’t you look for him?” Jared suggested. They felt it was better if Angela comforted Richard.

Guessing that he had gone out of the base, she turned around and ran toward the main entrance.

When she arrived at the entrance, a teammate happened to walk in. She asked, “Hi there, have you seen Captain Lloyd?”

As luck would have it, it was the young man Richard had summoned just now. The man pointed in a direction. “Captain Lloyd went that way.”

Angela took a look and realized it was the direction of the practice field, so she sprinted there.

At the same time, Ariel had out-flanked the pathway Richard was on and saw his silhouette through the trees. She looked down and pulled her shirt, showing more skin.

As soon as she found the right moment, Ariel ran out from a corner and screamed, “Ah! There’s a snake!”

Right then, Richard made a turn as well. Since they were close, Ariel bumped into him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. “There’s a snake, Captain Lloyd…”

His face turned cold as he scrunched his eyebrows. “Let go.”

“It’s a real snake—a big one! It’s chasing me!” She was adamant about not letting go. She continued with her act in an attempt to kindle his empathy and protectiveness toward her.

On the other hand, Angela was just around the corner when she heard a woman’s scream. She ran out of the forest and saw two people hugging on the pathway—it was Richard and Ariel.

Stunned, Angela stared at them for a few seconds, but she quickly realized what was happening. Ariel was holding tightly onto Richard and not letting go. However, his hands were by his side, not touching her.

“Ahem!” Angela made a loud sound.

Just as she made herself known, Richard pushed Ariel away at the same time. He was so rough that Ariel stumbled backward, lost her balance, and fell on her bottom.

She looked up to see Angela, and anger rose in her. Why is she here? Is she here to mess with me on purpose?

On the other hand, Richard turned around to see Angela sauntering toward them with her arms crossed. A look of panic flashed across his face, and he hoped she did not misunderstand the situation.

“It hurts, Captain Lloyd! Can you pull me up?” The pain caused Ariel to tear up as she pitifully begged him.

After walking past Richard, Angela stopped in front of Ariel and extended her hand. “Here, I’ll help you.”

Ariel was still in a daze from the fall. Seeing that Angela was being nice, she grabbed her hand and waited to be pulled up.

Angela gave a tug for Ariel to support herself with a hand on her knee. Just when Ariel was halfway up, Angela suddenly retracted her hand, letting the woman fall again.

“Argh! You—” Ariel’s face turned red. Angela had played with her and made her fall again.

While feigning ignorance, Angela rubbed her hands and apologized, “I’m sorry. My hands were sweaty, and it slipped.”

“You did it on purpose,” said Ariel angrily.

“Weren’t you trying to seduce my boyfriend as well?” Angela righteously countered.

Not expecting Angela to see through her plan, Ariel refuted with a red face, “What proof do you have? I saw a snake and only asked for his help.”

Angela snickered. “It’s almost winter and the snakes are hibernating. Can’t you come up with a better excuse?”

“You—” Ariel’s face continued to flush as she had never been so embarrassed before. It did not help that Angela kept making her look bad in front of Richard.

Behind Angela was Richard himself, whose lips were slightly curved up. He did not expect her to see him as her boyfriend so assuredly.

“Please say something, Captain Lloyd. I don’t want to be misunderstood.” Ariel whined at Richard, feeling wronged.

Angela turned her head to look at the man behind her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and the resentment was evident in her eyes; it seemed like she was blaming him for letting another woman hug him so easily.

Oh the other hand, Ariel realized that it was not graceful for her to sit on the ground. As such, she stood up while placing a hand on her waist to look frail.

“Miss Meyers, you need evidence before you make an accusation. You can’t just say what you want.” Ariel tried to defend herself.

Angela looked directly at Ariel and warned, “I’m only letting you off just this once. Don’t let me catch you trying to seduce my man again. Otherwise, I won’t let you off the hook.”

“How so? Are you going to beat me up?” Ariel dropped the act and stood tall. She did not think that Angela was a match for her.

Hearing that, Angela choked for a moment. As she was scrambling her mind for a comeback, a deep male voice came through. “Ariel, this is a base. You are in no place to be so presumptuous, so keep yourself in check.”

Richard stood beside Angela. His tall body and sharp eyes made him look majestic. He was a fierce beast, but he was also Angela’s trusted support. Angela was also surprised, and she looked up at him. At this moment, the eyes that looked at her were so tender that they melted her heart. It felt great to be protected.

Meanwhile, hatred boiled in Ariel’s heart. She swore to never forget today’s humiliation, for she had never been so insulted by someone.

“Captain Lloyd, I didn’t mean that literally. I wouldn’t dare fight at all. I can’t even kill a chick.” Ariel quickly lowered her voice and explained herself.

Since it was too awkward for her to stay, she turned around and left in a different direction.

As she left, Angela turned around and asked Richard worriedly, “I heard you’re in a bad mood. What happened?”

Richard blinked his eyes at her question. Did she run all the way here because I was in a bad mood?

“I’m okay.” He shook his head as he was never one to be emotional.

She knew they were not at that stage where he would share his feelings, but she still felt dejected nonetheless. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m here whenever you need me.”

He felt lost, for she had misunderstood him. If he talked about his situation, it would only worry her. Her life had always been peaceful, and he did not want these dark things to haunt her. All his life, there were rarely unexpected situations, but she was one of them as she barged into his heart so unexpectedly.

“Let’s head back,” said Richard. Then, he briskly turned around.

Angela stood still and looked at him with forlorn eyes like a kitten who had been abandoned by its owner.

He sighed and turned back around. After grabbing her hand, he walked forward while she followed suit. As they neared the base’s entrance, she pulled her hand back when they met people.

A moment later, they got their food trays and sat beside Trevor and the rest. Richard’s subordinates were relieved to see their superior in a better mood. Indeed, it was the right decision to ask Angela to comfort him.

However, Angela was still quite frustrated. She wanted to comfort Richard, but he did not even tell her what happened. She could not do anything.

After they were done eating, Richard asked Willy to meet him at the boxing gym at 3.00PM. He also made it compulsory for the other three to attend.

“Can I watch too?” Angela wanted to join in.

“Sure, Miss Meyers. Come and see how badly we’d be beaten up by Mr. Richard,” said Jared jokingly.

Angela’s eyes widened. “What? Are you guys going to get beaten up?”

“No, not really. But we’ve never won against Mr. Richard in a fight, so we’d always get beaten up,” Jared said with a bitter laugh.

She wheezed at his words. After lunch, many went for an afternoon nap, but she wanted to hang out in Richard’s room.

She made two cups of coffee and went to his room. He was just making a call when he saw her come in and whispered into the phone, “I’ll call you back in a bit.”

Angela froze at the door with the coffee in her hands, for it felt like she was intruding on his space.

“I got you some coffee.” Angela walked in and placed the cup down. She took her cup of coffee and said, “I’ll go back to my room so that I don’t disturb you. Please continue with your call.”

She wanted to leave as she finished her words.

“Don’t be angry. My job requires me to keep the information confidential,” he explained.

After mulling over it for a while, Angela nodded. “Okay, I understand. I’m not angry anymore.”

She knew where Richard was coming from, but she was still a little upset. She wanted to know him better and enter his world, but the doors to his heart were shut tight with no way of opening them.

It seemed like she only knew what was on the outside; she could see his appearance and personality, but she had no idea what was on his mind, and that made her anxious.

Angela knew better than to stay, so she left. At 3.00PM, she arrived at the boxing gym and saw Richard and his subordinates already in their boxing attire.

“Sit here, Miss Meyers. I prepared some snacks for you to eat while you watch the match.” Trevor was being considerate as he guided her to a seat.

She was helpless; it felt weird to snack while watching them getting beaten up.

“Hang in there, Willy! Help us exhaust Captain Lloyd even more so that we’ll receive fewer punches,” Sean hollered at the side.

Willy was fully-clothed most of the time, so Angela just came to realize he had a whole body of muscles and looked like an expert fighter.

At the same time, Angela was worried for Richard. Even though he was slightly taller than Willy with a well-proportioned body, he was not muscular. However, he had strength hidden in him.

“Are you sure he can win against Willy?” Angela asked abruptly.

Her voice reverberated in the gym, loud and clear. The other three subordinates’ faces turned pale. What Angela said was encouraging Richard to fight even harder.

They regretted asking Angela to watch, for they had set up a trap for themselves and evoked Richard’s potential.

Willy’s already straight face tensed even more. With Angela there, Richard would fight harder than he usually would. Willy could not afford to be distracted.

However, Angela sat there with an innocent face. She was tense for Richard as she hoped he would not get hurt fighting the four of them.

“Miss Meyers, did you manage to finish watching the movies I downloaded for you last time? If you’re not done, you can go back and watch them.” Trevor tried to get her to leave.

Instead, she shook her head and smiled. “I don’t want to. I want to watch you guys practice punching.”

A mix of emotions flashed across Trevor, Jared, and Sean’s faces. Richard looked toward them and saw the girl looking at him full of smiles. He composed himself and got ready to fight.

“Captain Lloyd, here I come!” Willy roared and swung his iron fist toward Richard.

Terrified, Angela almost dropped the snacks in her hands and shivered. Trevor immediately comforted her by saying, “It’s okay. Don’t worry, Captain Lloyd won’t get hurt.”

As Richard dodged Willy’s punch, he noticed Angela’s nervous face and smirked. He liked that she was worried about him.

Meanwhile, Willy attacked ceaselessly. If it was an ordinary person, one punch would have taken them out. However, Richard swiftly dodged his attacks every time and returned a strong blow. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, and he did not hold back during the fight.

Willy had been on the attack in the beginning, but now, he was being whacked in return, making him take several steps back. Richard’s powerful leg attacks made him grunt, and it was clear he was

beginning to tire out.

“Be careful, Willy,” Angela called suddenly.

Hearing this, Richard’s punch, which was originally aimed toward the side of Willy’s neck, immediately retreated. Willy, on the other hand, was preparing to retaliate with a punch, so he wasn’t going to falter even if Richard had done so. His fist landed on Richard’s cheek, making the tall man stagger back a little before regaining his balance.

Angela was so frightened that her face went pale. She immediately got up from her seat and ran toward Richard as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

“I’m sorry, Richard,” Willy apologized.

Richard wiped off his blood with his hand and replied calmly, “It’s fine.”

“You’re bleeding.” Angela looked at him anxiously.

Richard looked at Sean and said, “You’re up next.”

Sean stretched his body as he walked over with a smile. “Alright, Richie. I’m coming.”

Richard immediately put a hand around Angela and pulled her into the safe zone. She dragged him to sit on a nearby chair, then carefully checked his wounds. Meanwhile, Trevor and Jared were whispering to each other.

“See, Richard was right. Women can actually affect the speed at which he withdraws his sword. If Miss Angela hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t have gotten hit.”

“Exactly! See, his mood has improved after getting fussed over by a pretty woman.”

“He must like her a lot since her calling out was enough to affect his attack strategy.”

“Then, she must be his favorite!”

“Well then, is it safe to say that they’re an official couple?”

They glanced at the opposite seats where Richard was tilting his head a little so Angela could check his injury. After all, even if Willy faltered slightly toward the end, his punch was very powerful.

“I’ll get some ice for you,” she said to him and ran off.

As she grabbed some ice from the kitchen and walked out of the base, she saw him walking toward her with a swollen cheek. She panicked and asked him, “Why are you here? I’ve already prepared the ice pack.”

“You can apply it in my room,” he said. Angela’s heart jumped as she agreed and followed him back to his room with a shy expression.

When Richard opened the door, he moved to the side so Angela could enter first. She immediately moved past him as if she was afraid that other people would see them. After closing the door, he removed his sweat-drenched, skin-tight shirt and revealed his torso.

As she turned her head and saw him, her heart raced. What does this man want with me? Why did he take off his shirt as soon as he came in? Does he want to…

He informed her, “I’m taking a shower first. Wait here.”

“Okay!” She nodded while she watched him walk toward the bathroom, then put down the ice pack and waited.

The shower was quick, and Richard came out more than ten minutes later. He was clad only in a pair of long black pants, his upper body bare. At the same time, his hair was still dripping with water. That sight coupled with his healthy tanned skin made him look slightly untamed.

Angela admired the view for several seconds before blushing and looking down. The man had an amazing physique; it was perfect in her opinion. Why was she so embarrassed? Did he plan on doing anything with her?

The sound of clothes rustling came from behind her. After putting on a loose gray T-shirt, Richard moved to sit on the couch and rested his head on his arm. “Come here.”

Holding the ice pack, Angela sat beside him and applied it to his injured cheek.

“Does it still hurt?” she asked gently.

“No,” he answered with half-closed eyes as he stared at her face.

She had been paying attention to his injury, but then turned and accidentally met his gaze. It was so dark that she felt she would fall into the void if she looked at it more.

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