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
Two days have passed since the incident. Rachel, Richard's fiancé, feels curious and anxious because Richard has not contacted her at all during that time.Now, the woman used to be pensive on the edge of the bed, repeatedly looking into the phone screen to see if there was an incoming reply or a phone call, but in fact, what she expected didn't happen.His eyes were bent in sorrow, grasping the phone in his hand weakly without enthusiasm. "Why doesn't he want to contact me at all? What is he really doing that he doesn't even have time to just look at my message?"Rachel is restless because Richard is usually never like this. Even though he was busy, Richard always took the time to contact even if it was just a few messages and one phone call, because now he felt uneasy and questioned where Richard had gone.Rachel exhaled harshly. "I have to see him in person."He nodded his head, rounding up his determination. Rachel hurriedly changed her clothes, exited the house, and drove her car
"What's going on? What's going on?" Rachel stared at the many black-clad men who came into her house. The sudden ambush took her by surprise. She moved backwards, pulled by Bradley to hide behind his back, fearing that her child was in danger. However, the father tried to protect him along with his wife, who he also pulled behind his body. "Who are you guys trying to do in this place?" Bradly ventured to ask. They somehow breached the security in their house, which was usually quite safe, but he tried to handle the situation as calmly as possible. The man named Wayne calmed him down. "Don't panic sir we didn't come to do anything bad, instead we were ordered to guard this residence keeping this family safe." He tried to calm them down. "We came under the orders of Mr. James Morrison." "Mr. James?" Rachel walked out from behind her father's back. She repeated his name in surprise, hoping for news of Richard. "Is there any news of Richard?" She hurriedly approached them. Wayne
"Hey there!" a man who was busy moving things headed towards Richard. "Hurry up and move these things." He signaled Richard by pointing his hand towards the sizable and heavy-looking wooden boxes.Richard nodded his head and hurried over to him. "Okay."Right now, Richard, with his appearance looking different from usual, was deliberately going undercover in that place where his enemy was hiding. He needed to find out about what they were planning up close.In addition, Richard also planned to observe their movements. This decision was a bit difficult to accept and quite dangerous, but for the record, there was no better place than where their enemies were.When he was far away, he always felt stalked by them, and he could not escape their attention. It was just like he was waiting for those people to target him again, which was unsettling."What exactly are the contents of these items? This work is getting more and more tiring by the day?" One of the workers there put down the items
Richard's POVRichard carefully carried Naomi to a quiet, secluded spot, away from prying eyes. He gently set her down near where he stood, then took off his shirt and spread it on the ground. "Sit here for a moment," he said, helping Naomi to sit down. Though the girl looked confused, she obeyed Richard and sat there, watching him as he stood up again. "I'll be back soon," he said before hurrying away. As promised, he returned shortly afterward, holding a first-aid kit. Naomi gave Richard a puzzled look. She hadn't expected to find someone like him among her father's workers. Honestly, she was quite impressed—not only was Richard handsome with a pleasant voice, but he was also acting like a true gentleman toward her. "Where did you get that?" she asked, glancing at the first-aid kit in Richard's hands. "This?" Richard lifted the box slightly before sitting down beside her. "It's from the workroom. Sometimes it's used for minor injuries. First-aid treatment," he explained
"You're here?" Naomi, who had been wandering around searching for Richard, finally found him busy moving packages from a delivery truck.Richard quickly put the box down and tried to shield Naomi from the view of the other workers. "What's wrong? Why are you here, miss?" She shouldn't have been there, and Richard anxiously glanced around, worried that Naomi's overseers might see them together, which could expose their closeness.If anyone found out about their relationship, it could ruin Richard's plan to get close to Naomi or worse, create problems for him."I came looking for you." Like him, Naomi nervously scanned their surroundings, then quickly grabbed Richard's arm and led him away.Richard let himself be pulled along, though he feigned confusion. "Miss... miss? Where are you taking me?" he asked in a panicked tone.Naomi kept hold of his hand, glancing back briefly. "Stop talking. You'll be fine with me. I won't put your life at risk." She spoke with such seriousness that Richa