"I tried to come as soon as you called, but it seems I kept you waiting too long, sir." George bowed his head to Richard.He was out of his office, having just returned from lunch. George was about to buy himself a coffee at a café near the building, but just as he entered and was about to queue up to make his order, he got a call from Richard, which made him cancel his intention. Without a second thought, he quickly turned on his heel and walked out of the café.George ran as hard as he could at his age and was almost five. His head seemed to be empty as he received orders from Richard that were more important to him than a cup of coffee after his lunch.Richard nodded his head. "You're not late, no problem." He had no objection to that, especially since he was quite aware that he had not asked George first before giving him the order to come within five minutes. He even admitted that his attitude just now was rather annoying.George smiled. He was relieved that he didn't make Richar
After his divorce from Jasmine, Richard had only been so busy in the past week, there was so much going on in his life, and in that short period, he felt like himself again. He didn't lose himself in the time he spent with Jasmine a few years ago, but keeping himself in his status as Richard, the fishmonger at the market, certainly made a lot of changes to him.He was not as free as he was as Richard Marrison, who could make people who belittled or underestimated him instantly shut up on the spot, making them see how much ability he had. Richard had to hide in the character he had set up just to find sincerity, which, in the end, he did not get."I feel so tired." Richard got up from his bed.Things had disappointed him, but he didn't just slump down and dwell on his disappointment with Jasmine. Richard quickly turned away because he realized that Jasmine's character like that could never be fixed. He never loved anyone. He only loved himself and wanted someone to unite him without hi
"Come inside. We've been waiting for you." Jhonas put his arm around Richard's shoulders and directed him to go inside his house, with a warm, friendly smile on his face that continued to appear there.Richard nodded his head with a faint smile on his face. He walked into the place while taking in the entire small house that seemed to contrast with his own, yet miraculously, there was something that made Richard feel very comfortable there.In a place that could be considered cramped with many things and family members living in that one house, Richard found a very rare appearance. He saw the smiles on their faces so friendly that the warmth greeted him gently. Richard felt completely welcomed, not as someone with the background he had, treated with respect because of his status, but more like what he was, as their guest."Meet this, my mom, Maggie." Jhonas pointed to a middle-aged woman in a simple knitted pakiana. Her face clearly showed the lines of life framed by a shady smile tha
Maria smiled sarcastically. "Of course, it's impossible. He doesn't have any friends like that." She confidently said it without noticing the other's faces changed instantly. The woman seemed completely unconcerned with the atmosphere there after her arrival became so different.Richard looked at Jhonas, who lowered his face in shame. Meggi seemed to be still trying to smile. Still, pathetically, while Blake in another chair was holding Ariana's hand and trying to calm her down, the woman seemed to snort sarcastically and tried to maintain her sanity with Blake's help."Never mind, Auntie, yes. It's hard to impress others with what I do, so let's stop talking about it. It's better to talk about what's fun than what I can't accomplish." Jhonas took action. He didn't want to further aggravate the situation. The man, who was quite wise and sincere, chose to lower himself so that the others didn't have to hear unnecessary things that only spoiled the atmosphere.But in fact, what Jhonas s
Maria and Antom stared intently at Richard. Richard immediately realized that the two middle-aged people hated him very much. Neither of them wanted Richard to attend this party. "Hey, shut up!" Maria glared at him. She immediately got up from his chair and was about to approach Richard.However, Anton suddenly grabbed her wrist. He asked Maria to sit back down. "Already, just ignore him! He's just a poor man who doesn't understand anything!"With a forced movement, Maria sat back in her chair. He wanted to tear the face of Richard, who looked so arrogant and annoying. Meanwhile, Anton was still glancing at Richard's face as if he wanted to teach him a lesson, but he didn't want to degrade himself further in front of Richard and make Richard make fun of him even more."He must have a point! I'm sure he wants to embarrass us this time!" Uncle said in a high tone. "The guy seems to read clearly. He must want what we have." He was bragging about himself incoherently in front of Richard.
Realizing that Richard was not playing around with his words that said he would make the party atmosphere more festive, Ariana then walked closer to him. She approached Richard, who had finished his phone call. "You don't have to bother with this, Richard." The woman seemed reluctant and took him to heart. "You're a guest. It's only right that we treat you well instead of making you spend more than we can offer you."Calling a Michelin chef who earned five stars on his cooking was undoubtedly more expensive than eating at the restaurant. Ariana didn't know who Richard was and what his status was. Still, she felt confident that the man was serious and not trying to lie to her, especially since Richard had brought a gift for Latisha, and that alone was a luxury for those who couldn't give a special gift to their daughter."I'm sorry the situation has come to this, but we invited you to come and enjoy the meal." Blake expressed his guilt over a situation that was also not caused by him.
Maria and Anton were dumbfounded by what they saw right in front of them. All that splendor was not a trick but was happening right before them. The million dollars Richard was talking about might not be such a load of crap.Anton lightly nudged Maria's arm, which snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned to him with a confused look on her face that she still couldn't control. "Did you see all that? Could it have cost a million dollars?" Anton remembered well what Richard had talked about, about him showing him how to spend a million dollars in no time.Maria observed it all again. The tent installed there was not an ordinary tent, nor did all the decorations look cheap. Then, the cooking utensils they used were not like those used by street vendors, especially from the appearance of some of the chefs there, as well as the waiters. They all looked impressive. "I can't believe it, but it looks like what he said was real." The woman had been half-whispering, but Richard could hear
Richard looked at her with his forehead furrowed at Maria, who had just said such an absurd thing, the woman who had originally talked about her in a very cynical and judgmental tone. Still, now she was suddenly a middle-aged woman with a sweet way of speaking that also seemed kind, and it was disgusting to Richard."Try to get to know her. I'm sure you'll like it." That awkward smile on her face turned into an unexpected twinkle of excitement.Anton, who was on the other side, also revealed himself and approached me. "Yes, my son is very beautiful. What if you try to meet her? You will definitely like her very much."The two old men looked both gutsy and unabashed. Richard turned his gaze bemusedly in the other direction, glancing at them again as Maria touched his hand slightly, which made him feel annoyed."How are you interested? Or would you like me to contact her and let you talk to her?" Maria did not give up, only because Richard seemed silent and did not give her an answer.R
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