"As long as you're still engaged, I have no reason to back off. I still have a chance to get closer to him and catch his attention. Besides, you were the one who told me that you weren't interested in him. You reached out to me first, and I'm sure the man you were talking about was him." Melody brought up their conversation from a few weeks ago.Rachel stared at her, panting with frustration. She was distraught and couldn't believe what she was dealing with in Melody."It hasn't even been a month since you last talked about him, so it's impossible that there's anything more between you two," Melody said, clearly doubtful.Rachel shook her head, denying it while trying to calm herself."Maybe this is just a business alliance between two large companies through marriage. If he finds someone he loves— I mean, if he suddenly falls in love with me—your engagement could be called off, right? Doesn’t he deserve to find someone he truly loves? I’m sure you’re not so narrow-minded as to block
“So, you heard it? You listened to our conversation?” Rachel turned around as soon as Melody’s car disappeared from her view. She didn’t expect Richard to have overheard and witnessed her embarrassing argument with Melody.At that moment, Rachel wished she could disappear. She didn’t want to face him after such a humiliating scene. Fighting over him like that made her feel exposed as if she had shown a shameful part of herself.Richard nodded. “Yes, I saw it. So what? Are you embarrassed?”Rachel was stunned. “You’re asking me? You’re asking if I’m embarrassed?” Today had been a long day, filled with emotions she could barely control. “Of course, it was embarrassing, Richard. No woman wants her partner to see her in such a humiliating situation. It was awful for me.” She scrunched up her face and covered it with her hands.Richard laughed heartily for the first time in a while, clearly finding the situation amusing. “No, it wasn’t embarrassing at all.” He gently grabbed Rachel’s hands
Rachel was dropped off at home in a chaotic state but with a thrilled heart. She was so overjoyed that she couldn’t stop smiling. Her glowing face caught Wilona’s attention as she sat at the small bar in their house, smiling back at her daughter.“Look at you! What happened? You must have had a wonderful day, didn’t you?” Wilona guessed easily.Since Rachel was her daughter, Wilona could easily recognize her moods, body language, facial expressions, and the meaning behind her smiles. She knew her decision about Richard had been the right one, not just because of Richard’s undeniably great financial status.Like any mother, she wanted the best for her child and hoped that was the case. That’s why she had pressured Rachel a bit—encouraging her to give Richard a chance, to open her heart and get to know him. Even though her insistence had irritated Rachel, leaving her feeling cornered.Wilona approached Rachel, walking alongside her. “So, what happened? You don’t plan to tell your mom, d
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you soon," Richard reassured Rachel, knowing she might not be as accustomed to such situations as he was. "You don’t have to think about all those headlines; like you said, it's all just nonsense. I’m not really dating all those women, so there’s no need to be concerned."“Alright. I won’t think about it. I was just caught off guard seeing the news first thing when I woke up.” Her voice was weak, clearly still bothered.Richard chuckled softly. “You got hit with some bad news in the morning, huh? I understand the feeling. Go wash your face and eat something fresh. I’ll make sure all this chaos is cleared up quickly.”“Yeah, you too. Eat something nice and don’t overwork yourself. Take a break when you can.” They ended the call and hung up.Meanwhile, as Richard sat sipping his tea, his eyes turned toward Smith, standing nearby holding a pile of work documents that required his attention.“Miss Rachel called you because of the news, sir?” Smith gl
"I had nothing to do with it, I swear!" The man searched frantically, trying to deceive Smith by putting on an act.But Smith knew better. He hadn't come this far without uncovering every detail that needed to be known. He was fully aware that all the information had come from this man. Smith also knew the man's background. The man in the Western hat could no longer fool him, no matter what he said. Smith wasn’t going to let him off the hook."You can't lie. I have the evidence." Smith threw the evidence in front of the man in the beret, who raised a chair as a shield to keep them at bay, signaling that he wouldn't hesitate to harm them if they came closer.As the evidence scattered in front of him, the man’s eyes darted over it in shock as he realized they had done a background check on him and gathered nearly all the information.He shook his head in panic, his gaze empty, feeling the situation was unfair. "No... no, it wasn’t me! I had nothing to do with it. Believe me!" he shouted
The man was taken by Smith to a place in the basement, where Smith tied his hands and feet, seating him on a wooden chair. "Such a hassle, dealing with someone like him is always annoying."The room was dark, with no windows. It seemed unused, covered in dust, with scattered items left behind for a long time.In front of Smith stood three men, his aides. Smith dragged a chair and placed it before the man, not too far from him. He sat down, resting his legs, observing the man wearing a beret. “Throw some water on him, wake him up,” he ordered one of the aides.Immediately, a large man followed the command, grabbing a bucket of water and harshly splashing it onto the beret-wearing man's face, causing him to wake up in shock.The man’s eyes flew open, his body jerking as he tried to get up, but the ropes binding him to the wooden chair restrained him. “Ah… what is this? What’s going on? What are you doing to me?” He blinked rapidly, struggling to keep his eyes open as the water stung the
“This kind of problem is easily solved.” Richard smirked slightly, slipping one hand into his pocket. “There are plenty of people who can replace you.”The man named Hary furrowed his brows deeply, trying to process Richard’s words. Now, he finally understood that Richard was suggesting someone would take his place, making his lips stiffen instantly.Hary’s posture hunched forward as if trying to shield himself from the intimidating gaze Richard directed at him.He hadn’t expected Richard to think this way. His face turned pale, and he realized that Richard could do anything. This made him swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously.“No, that won’t work.” Smith shook his head, rubbing his chin with his thumb. “The people around him will definitely notice.”Smith believed that this plan wouldn’t be effective. After all, Hary had a wide network as a journalist who had covered numerous stories and interacted with many other reporters. His colleagues would certainly notice if someth
"Where is he?" Smith widened his eyes as he entered the small, cramped room where Hary had been held captive.The three men guarding the outer corridor were shocked and immediately rushed to check the room. Sure enough, Hary was no longer there. All that remained was the cut rope, prompting the three men to exchange confused glances."Wasn't he here?" The man in black, who was the first to enter, swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he turned to face Smith.Just as he feared, Smith glared at them with sharp, fiery red eyes, indicating that his anger had reached its boiling point."Idiots!" Smith lashed out, striking the three men with a loud slap that echoed through the small room. "What were you doing that let that bastard escape? Can’t you do your jobs properly?"The three men cowered in fear, clutching their stinging cheeks as their jaws ached, feeling as though their bones had shifted from the impact."Find him now. Where the hell did he go?" Smith's voice growl