Seeing Rachel there with so much preparation, Richard couldn't refuse her sudden invitation. He had planned to do something else, spending time alone because his head was still tired.But he canceled his intention when he saw Rachel standing before him carrying a basket more significant than his body size. "Alright let's go, where do you want to go?" she took over the basket that Rachel was carrying instead of carrying."Okay!" Rachel exclaimed excitedly, she immediately turned her body around and slipped her arm around Richard's, holding onto him tightly without any awkwardness. "I want to go to Fritz Lake. Let's go there."Richard nodded his head in agreement and led her out. He watched Rachel with warm concern as he opened the car door for her, helping her to fasten the seat belt as they sat inside.After about 30 minutes of traveling, they arrived at Fritz Lake. Since they didn't arrive there on a weekend but rather on a weekday, there weren't many other visitors enjoying their ti
They went back to enjoying their date together, spending time at the frozen lake more quietly. Enjoying it longer made it hard for them to make jokes and laugh and then return to paying attention to their surroundings with a sense of comfort."Lately it seems like you're very tired, I had some doubts about whether to come to you or not." Rachel spoke while playing with the fingers of Richard's hand.Richard turned to her calmly and attentively. "Why is that?" she wondered because all she knew was that Richard had free time every time she knew.Without Richard knowing it was an effort made for their relationship, she dismissed her thoughts and indecision just to get closer to Richard.Rachel smiled embarrassedly, taking her eyes off Richard and focusing more on the fingers being played with. "Like earlier for example, I was thinking that maybe I disturbed you. I shouldn't have shown up but I forced myself to show up and interrupt. But I'm worried that if I don't, our relationship will
"Get out of here right now." She ignored what Richard said, trying to pull Rachel away forcefully. "What's wrong with giving us your phone number?"Not accepting their rude treatment of Rachel, Richard grabbed the man's shirt collar and pulled him close, setting his jaw hard and glaring at him. "I told you not to bother her, didn't you hear me!" Richard's tone of voice sounded low yet pressing and cold.It was back to hardening his jaw and acting unafraid in front of Richard; he was even more furious with Richard's attitude, which seemed to challenge him. "No, I'm not listening to what you're saying, asshole! What do you want, huh?" the man was becoming increasingly belligerent.Rachel, panicking about the situation, tried pulling Richard away. "Richard, come on, never mind them." She was worried that Richard would get hurt, and she couldn't do anything to help.Rasa's hand was tightly wrapped around Richard's waist. From her side, she was trying hard to prevent Richard from getting i
Ri"I'm not defending him but he's right about that." Brad looked at his wife with a look that tried to explain.But Wilona needed help understanding what they were talking about. "Right about what? Right about making things difficult for herself? Akira. After she got Tanti involved with all those business dealings, will she still think the same way?" he knew who Rachel was and how her ambition would lead her to continue. "She'll probably do everything amazingly, which then makes her feel less and less, and then you'll end up seeing her cancel this engagement.""I won't!" Rachel insisted on denying that.But Wilona smiled skeptically. "Are you sure you won't? With a nature that doesn't want to do things halfway, are you sure you can control yourself?" Her mother shook her head weakly. "No Rachel, I know you.""Mom listen to me first!" Rachel was frustrated. "I'm doing this because I want to be someone Richard can rely on, to be a better person for him, why would you think I would leav
"Are you serious about helping?" Rachel looked at her excitedly.Lily nodded her head with a smile. "Yes, of course. I wouldn't mind helping out; I'm in that field these days anyway." She confidently boasted of her abilities."Yes, Lily is currently serving as a business consultant. That is her job, if you are interested in asking questions and are engaged in business she will certainly help." Their good friend validated Lily."Look, that's my job. So relax; I will help you." She rubbed Rachel's hand warmly and then flashed her friendly smile in front of Rachel.Rachel nodded her head happily. She felt that her choice to go out tonight was a good thing, and because of that decision, her situation became calmer after talking with her friends.They continued their conversation about various things. There, they enjoyed their time with sweet and comforting foods. Their togetherness in that place became more lively. They did not realize that time had passed for a long time."I think we sho
"Sir, I have something to tell you." Smith stood in front of Richard's desk. The 40-year-old man's serious look was wrapped in his usual calmness.Tomorrow momentarily broke away from his work and looked at Smith. "What is it? Just tell me. I'll listen.""It's about Miss Rachel, sir." The man said Rachel's name very carefully."What's wrong with her?" This time, Richard's attention was centered on the report Smith was about to explain.Smith looked at Richard obediently. "Earlier Miss Rachel met with her friends, two days ago. They seemed to be spending time together. That meeting continued with one of them today, but unlike their previous meeting the person I ordered to watch overheard their conversation."Smith had an obligation to monitor many aspects of the Morrison family, including Rachel's current role. So he ordered someone to monitor Rachel for reasons ranging from Rachel's own safety to the safety of the Morrison family, which might be endangered by Rachel's influence."They
"Argh! How can this be happening to me?" She made up in her room, still covering herself with the blanket and jerking his legs in the air.She still couldn't accept her situation; the shame that came over her was enough to make her not want to move and become so moody. Her mood was ultimately affected; now, she was not in the mood to do anything, even to move or eat.Since Rachel had been in her room alone since morning, her mother and father felt that something strange had happened to her. They finally found out why after one of Rachel's friends called them on their home phone.Ena called them and asked about Rachel's current condition because she had been calling Rachel, but Rachel never answered her phone. Because of her anxiety, it was good to ask her parents how she felt, and she couldn't come to check on herself because of her busy schedule.Ena began to explain where the problem came from. She told them about Lili and the possibility of Rachel working with her. Then, she also m
Richard is standing on the highest floor of a building. He is on a rooftop, circulating his gaze in all directions while taking a deep breath and feeling the wind blowing on him.Occasionally, Richard closed his eyes to enjoy the gusts of wind that passed through his body. Part of his body felt so calm, while the other part still felt the horror of the appearance of that extraordinary height.In front of him, lined-up skyscrapers of uneven height seemed to be competing with each other and being taller. However, no matter how hard they tried, no building could still touch the actual height of the sky."Isn't this place amazing?" he spoke as soon as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. "From this place, it's like we can see everything. That high place has something different that can only be seen from that vantage point."Now, Richard is beginning to redefine his life in that way. In a way that can be done when he is in the highest position, sometimes he thinks that he is to
One evening, after a few hours, more than one helicopter landed in the village area, and the whole village became crowded because of this.They did not expect that the missing person who had been searched for by the strangers who came to the village was still alive. To them, it was quite impossible; considering what the storm was like that day and the ocean was a fierce place, they did not think that the missing person was still safe and intact."Mr. Richard." Smith got off first and came to him hurriedly.The 45-year-old man hugged Richard so tightly and emotionally that he had almost given up hope in his quest to find Richard. He himself had even stopped hoping that the possibility of Richard being alive and somewhere was such a great miracle. He was alive and found somewhere.Smith released his embrace and looked at Richard with happiness mixed with emotion. "I'm glad you're okay, sir."After Smith let go, James, who was led by Rachel, hugged him tightly. "I trust you are doing wel
"Alright, then. Tomorrow, we will go to look for your family's whereabouts." Alexa made the choice; Richard looked at her, who seemed confused.Richard didn't understand why Alexa seemed so serious when they had never discussed it with obvious effort before. "Why all of a sudden?" he wondered if perhaps they no longer wanted him there. Is it possible that my presence is becoming inconvenient?"Alexa smiled with a shaded face, her head shook, and her hand rubbed lightly over the back of Richard's hand, trying to get his attention. "No, it's not. Your existence is not inconvenient at all; quite the opposite. I'm honestly grateful to have you here." Alexa pursed her lips tightly and turned her attention to stare straight back ahead.She stared at the vast and calm expanse of the sea. Her feelings about letting go of Richard were still quite reluctant. She had a great desire to keep Richard there, but she also didn't want to be selfish."Today my friend came to tell me that in the village
After finishing cleaning up, Richard went to Alexa, who also seemed to be cleaning up the glasses in their house's living room.Richard's eyes scanned the place, looking for the whereabouts of the guest whose voice had been heard earlier when he entered through the back door. "Has the guest gone home?" he glanced over and helped Alexa.Without hesitation, Richard's hand took over the tray Alexa was carrying and placed it in the kitchen. At the same time, Alexa followed suit, carrying the snack container. "Yes, they're home." She replied flatly, without any expression that sounded cheerful from her answer.Richard watched her, noticing something a little different about Alexa's demeanour compared to usual. He thought maybe the guests had affected her mood, or maybe something else was to blame. He wasn't sure exactly, but even he didn't want to ask if Alexa didn't seem to want to explain. "Who are the guests who came?" She made small talk while walking towards the dining table.Approach
"Jacob, where are you going?" one of the villagers greeted Richard, who seemed to be walking with an axe in his hand. "Are you heading to the forest?" he asked enthusiastically because he was happy to see Richard, one of the new residents there.Richard, who had just managed to turn around and look for who was talking to him, smiled and nodded. "Morning, Mr. Jack." He politely greeted the old man whom he recognized as Sam's friend."Yes, morning, young man." He smiled kindly in response to Richard's greeting. "If you have time, come to the house. You promised to help me yesterday when you were free."Richard nodded. "Later, when I am free, I will try to drop by, sir. " He selflessly helped some nearby neighbours who needed his help.It had been a month since he had been in that place, and now he was living a very normal life there. Just like everyone else, Richard also had his own activities. Sometimes, he joined some men to go fishing at sea, without him knowing that he used to be a
Sitting in his private room, James looked anxiously at the picture frame containing Richard's picture. For days, he had been waiting for news of Richard and conducted a massive search. But the search was ultimately fruitless. There were still no reports of Richard's whereabouts or any signs of him being stranded somewhere.Her worries grew as time passed. The first 24 hours after Richard disappeared were the golden hour to find his whereabouts and determine whether he was in good or bad condition.But a week had passed since then, and there was still no further news of his whereabouts."Is there still no sign of Richard's whereabouts?" James asked Smith in the room.His anxiety was rife with other things, his heart was in turmoil, and his feelings had become chaotic since Richard's whereabouts were declared missing.The news of Richard's disappearance made him not stop thinking about where Richard was and what the situation was like. His condition, which he continues to worry about, c
"What took you so long to come back?" Alexa, who was waiting there, turned her head and noticed Richard, who had just returned, walking over to her.Richard nodded his head. "In line." he took over the groceries held by Alexa.Telling her about what he experienced while inside earlier, for him, Alexa didn't need to know that the Baron was still bothering him. Apart from not wanting to make the woman anxious, he also didn't want Alexa to have a particular view of his attitude that could be considered rude by her.He smiled at the woman. "Do we have anything else to do? Or do you want us to go home?"Alexa helped Richard carry a few easy things to take to not burden Richard too much. "Let's just go home; it's too late. Tomorrow, I have to get up early to store breakfast because Dad will be leaving early in the morning." She started to leave the place, followed by Richard, who walked beside her."Tomorrow morning? Where is Sam going?""Dad said there is someone he needs to help. One of t
Alexa glanced at Richard with a gaze that stared strangely at him."Why are you looking at me like that?" Richard, who realized her gaze, then asked.Alexa headed back to stare straight ahead. "I was just wondering. How could you do that? When you did it earlier, I looked so expert. Unlike someone who just tried, your posture and then the techniques you used seemed to clearly show that you were an expert." She looked back at Richard in confusion. "Tell me, how did you do it?"Richard looked at her in silence for a while. Like Alexa, he was confused by what had been done. He did not expect that his ability was that great.The more he thought about it, the more astonished he became. He obviously didn't remember anything at all., but strangely, he could do it all so well. "I don't know., Richard shook his head as he replied. "I'm not sure myself what I'm doing and how I'm doing it so well. All I feel is that my body knows how to do it." He explained the confusion to Alexa.After hearing
"No, it can't be like that. I disagree that I should stay away from her." Baron rejected their agreement, which he agreed to without thinking.Obviously, Baron rejected Richard's request to limit his interaction with Alexa. He dared challenge Richard and felt hateful and annoyed at him because Alex was the reason. He didn't want any other man or Richard to get close to him.Baron has liked Alexa for a long time, and Jack, from their teenage stuff, has always followed and been attracted to her. But his feelings were unrequited because Alexa didn't show any interest in him at all.The Baron knew that. He knew that Alexa didn't like him, but he still tried to get close to her, hoping that someday Alexa would change her mind. He kept trying and never gave up because he thought that maybe his efforts would be rewarded with what he hoped for someday.But if he couldn't get close to her in the end just because he lost the bet, then his efforts all this time were futile and ridiculous.He sho
The two of them were now in their respective positions, wearing a set of arrows and getting ready in place. He arrows where they were. They were surrounded by people who wanted to witness the showdown between the two.On one side, Richard only came along with Alexa, who was currently so nervous and anxious about the possibility of Richard's condition getting a bad name with this challenge.On the other hand, Baron was surrounded by friends who were eager to see Richard defeated. The young men of the village clearly disliked Richard's existence and the way Richard behaved towards them.Specifically, they didn't need a reason to dislike Richard because even just looking at him could immediately make them dislike him and want to look down on him."Shouldn't you undo your intentions, Jacob?" Alexa approached him again and spoke in a worried tone.She was distraught, having promised her father that she would look after Richard. She would take Richard there with the insight that maybe from