"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
Richard's POV"Kevin," Naomi called out to Richard, who was busy working, ignoring the curious stares of the other workers who peeked at them.Lately, with their increasing closeness, Naomi didn’t hesitate to show up and whisk him away to accompany her or be her conversation partner. Richard had once told her that he might not always be able to accompany her during the day since he had to focus on his work.However, whatever Naomi did, Richard didn’t know. The next day, there were no complaints when he disappeared in the middle of working hours and stayed away for a while just to listen to Naomi talk about various things, most of which were endless complaints despite him being there for days. It seemed like the woman never ran out of things to complain about."Yes, Miss? What is it?" He immediately left work and approached Naomi, who was waiting for him.Naomi pointed toward the car, waiting for them. "Grab your things and come with me." She looked at Richard, who seemed momentarily c
"I don't know what else my father needs until he made me involved in this exhausting escape. I'm really fed up." Naomi passionately vented her frustrations about her current situation.Richard glanced at her, then shifted his gaze away. The word "fed up" she uttered made him involuntarily draw a tight breath. He knew that feeling well because he, too, felt utterly fed up with his life. But what else could he do besides living his life well and trying to maintain what he had?After all he had been through, he knew better than anyone the meaning of being fed up, and had tried as hard as he could in every aspect of his life—whether it was the effort to build something under pressure, to gain his parents' trust, or to be acknowledged. He had tried far more than the woman in front of him had.At least her father, as far as Richard had learned, was kinder than his own father when it came to affection. Her father protected Naomi’s existence and didn’t involve her directly until now. Meanwhil
Smith stared at his tablet screen with a serious expression. Something he received prompted him to rush to the IT room in the same building where he was. “Check the message I just sent immediately,” he commanded as he entered and approached the team.Three individuals in front of their computers glanced briefly at Smith before quickly starting the task. “Is this a message from Mr. Richard, sir?” Nick, who was handling the message, asked while focusing on his screen.Smith nodded and positioned himself beside Nick to observe his work. “Yes, it appears so. From the contents, I’m certain this is from Mr. Richard,” he said confidently.Smith had reason to believe this. Even though they needed to be cautious and verify the authenticity of any sudden messages claiming to be from Richard, something in the wording made Smith sure it was him. Richard used a specific language when communicating with Smith, which only the two would understand, even if Richard was not physically present.“Mr. Ric
"So, Richard has returned?" Rachel sprang up from her seat in surprise, her usually calm face lighting up with joy. "Are you sure he’s back?" she asked Wayne, still standing by after delivering the news.Wayne, who was stationed at the Thompson residence due to the ongoing safety concerns for Rachel and the lack of further instructions, had just received word from Smit regarding the possibility of Richard being found."Yes, ma'am." He nodded. "The news isn’t entirely clear yet, but Sir Smit is verifying the message he received by heading to the location where it originated." Wayne relayed the information exactly as he had received it.Rachel’s face relaxed with relief. She had spent days anxiously awaiting news about Richard, worried and restless. She had no idea whether Richard was ill or in a difficult situation.This time, she hoped that the message was from Richard and not some cruel trick. "Take me there, to where they are confirming his whereabouts. I want to see him in person,"