After traveling for a few minutes, the car driven by Richie stopped in the parking lot in front of an office building. Richie glanced at Sharlynn, who was busy removing her safety belt. "Sharlynn," Richie called out as he grabbed the woman's left wrist, making Sharlynn look at Richie with a furrowed brow. "Do you have something to say?" asked Sharlynn as she looked at the man to her left with a question mark. "Are you sure you'll be okay? Those two will keep bothering you. If you want, I'll get rid of them right away," said Richie, which made Sharlynn's tongue loll; who knew what was inside her fist? "I'll be fine, Richie. There's Mr Madison over there," Sharlynn replied.Richie nodded in understanding while releasing his grip on Sharlynn's wrist. "Alright, then. Remind me if you need any help, okay?" said Richie seriously.Sharlynn gave a small smile, "Of course, Richie. I have a few tricks to deal with them. No need to worry." She then opened the car door and got out, followed b
Richie frowned as he looked at the face of the woman who always made a mess. "There's no need to apologize; it's my fault for not seeing the road," the woman retorted, making Richie's brow furrow even more. "Are you blind?" The question instantly made the downcast Odette hurriedly raise her face and stare at Richie with a flushed face, but she quickly controlled her anger. "Oh, you..." Odette snickered. Richie ignored Odette, and the man quickly got up from his position. It was a little strange; she didn't usually stay still and stare at him, even if it was just a cynical look. Odette also got up from her position. When she saw Richie's movement, the woman pulled one corner of her lips back. "You really love Sharlynn apparently." Richie stopped his steps but still did not move or even turn his body. "Or are you just pretending to love her?" That last sentence made Richie turn around and stare at Odette with an uninterpretable gaze.Richie replied seriously, "What makes you think t
"You suddenly became mute after your partnership with Odette?" Sharlynn continued with her questions, which made Richie's head spin. The man only glanced at Sharlynn and then turned his gaze straight ahead. Sharlynn exhaled harshly and threw the business card back. "I didn't expect that you, who looks so cold, could also be enamored with Odette. You and Julian are the same!" Sharlynn was angry with Richie, especially since the man was silent when asked questions but did not answer any of Sharlynn's questions. The woman turned her gaze towards the car's side mirror and stared intently at the road. "Are you jealous?" Sharlynn quickly looked away; her forehead creased as she stared at Richie. "Why would I be jealous? We're nobodies, and it's all an act; I'm just disappointed in you. Why does it have to be Odette? You're close to any woman I have no right to forbid because it's your right! But why does it have to be Odette again..." Sharlynn's tongue suddenly complained with a throat
The atmosphere of the apartment room was empty and cold. However, the scent of tobacco perfume filled the room. Richie was still standing and looking at himself in front of the mirror that only hung on the wall beside the chest-sized nightstand. His facial expression seemed hesitant as he put on his non-formal blazer. Inside, her head seemed filled with questions she could not answer. "Sharlynn, what are you doing?" he muttered. However. The ringing sound of her mobile phone, which was not far from where she was standing, precisely located on the right side of the nightstand, the bright flat object flickered its screen. The identity of the person he was about to meet appeared on it, though it disgusted him even more. Richie ignored it; he didn't want to hear that woman's voice that looked more like a donkey's.However, the voice came back and was more extended. Richie was forced to grab the thing that almost ruined his mood, trying to ignore the discomfort around him. With a se
Richie felt uncomfortable when Odette tried to make physical contact with him. The woman touched and lightly rubbed the back of Richie's hand. He tried to pull his hand resting on the table, wanting to end the disturbing physical contact."Odette, I'm sorry, I don't think this is worth continuing," Richie said in a low voice, trying to free himself from Odette's advances.However, Odette remained adamant, ignoring Richie's attempt to withdraw his hand from her touch. "Richie, until now I was still confused about what made you want to marry Sharlynn. Was she ever attractive in your eyes?" she asked with a curious look.Richie raised one eyebrow in response. "To drive away the loneliness, perhaps. After I parted with the lover I loved."While they were engaged in an increasingly complicated conversation, the restaurant's ambiance was getting increasingly romantic, with the dim lights and the matching music. However, Richie suddenly said goodbye."Sorry, Odette, I have to go. I still ha
"I'd tell you if I could explain everything. Odette and I have nothing to do with each other-" Sharlynn did not believe it. The woman looked at the man in front of her timidly and backed away slowly as she occasionally saw the bedroom door and intended to run and hide there. Sharlynn shook her head, "There's no way you didn't have bad intentions after breaking the door to my apartment," Sharlynn argued. Richie shook his head vigorously, "Sharlynn, listen to me! Now pack all your things, and let's get out of here!" Richie forced. Sharlynn was again surprised by Richie's crazy request. The woman shook her head and took a few quick steps back. She turned around to enter the room, but Richie quickly grabbed her wrist.Sharlynn felt her heartbeat quicken as Richie firmly gripped her wrists. She felt depressed and scared, but her distrust of Richie kept her alert."Richie, let me go!" hissed Sharlynn, trying to break free from the man's grip. Richie's eyes flashed, reflecting the tensio
Sharlynn, furious because Richie never answered her question, deliberately hit Richie's head, making him jerk and groan. "Sharlynn, what are you doing!" raged Richie, who made the steering wheel slightly sway. "You want to kill me, right?" asked Sharlynn frantically. "Shut up, don't take this the wrong way. If I wanted to kill you, I would have strangled you earlier!" Sharlynn did not believe Richie's answer. With her breath catching in her throat, the woman looked back at the darkness ahead. The road they were traveling was only lit by a small, sparse street lamp.Sharlynn felt her heart racing, trying to calm her emotional turmoil. Richie, despite the pain, remained focused on driving the car carefully. The atmosphere inside the car was tense, with only the whistling of the wind and the rattling of the wheels on the deserted asphalt."Look, Sharlynn, I have no intention of killing you," Richie said in a soft voice, trying to calm the woman next to him. "It's just a misunderstan
"Okay, I'm not leaving," Richie said, instantly relieving Sharlynn even though she never let go of her hug for Richie.In the dark hut at the edge of the Grunewald forest, a quiet atmosphere prevailed between Richie and Sharlynn after Richie's soothing statement. Sharlynn was still holding Richie tightly, and despite the relief, Sharlynn still felt tension."If you don't let go of your hug, I can't move. I'll clean this place for you to sleep," Richie continued in a soft voice, trying to reassure Sharlynn.Slowly, Sharlynn unraveled her hug to allow Richie to move. Just then, like a miracle, the room lit up again. Richie removed a device the size of a child's fist from his shirt pocket. Carefully, he switched on a small lamp that gave a dim light to the whole messy room.The lamp was positioned on the table, providing enough light to look around. Richie looked around, planning his next steps. The tables and chairs looked intact, while the room's corners looked messy.Without hesitatio