Chapter 885
“Do you need something?” Angela self–consciously crossed her arms after realizing she was not wearing a bra.
Richard gave her a withering look as he ordered, “You are not allowed to use the public bathroom for your night
showers.”
She narrowed her eyes and asked, “Why not?”
He met her incredulous gaze steadily and said, “Because it causes inconvenience.” –
Frustration welled up in her. She had already gone out of her way to not make trouble for him, and she could not
understand why he was nitpicking on her still.
He did not turn away and leave. Instead, he paused for a few seconds before saying, “I‘m sorry I was harsh with
you today.”
Angela blinked, clearly caught off guard by his out–of–the–blue apology. When she recomposed herself, she looked
away from him and muttered, “Apology not accepted.”
“You wanted to hike, right? Be up at 6.00AM sharp tomorrow and I‘ll take you there,” Richard said.
Her competitive side came out as she retorted, “As if I‘d back down from that.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“We‘ll meet at the entrance. Don‘t be late.”
“I won‘t,” she bit out.
Richard spun on his heels and walked away just as Angela closed the door. She glanced at the time and saw that it
was drawing near to 11.00PM. I have to sleep now, or I won‘t be able to wake up in time and I‘d never hear the end
of it!
She burrowed into bed, but her mind kept replaying his apology and the events from earlier. In hindsight, it
appeared that she was the one in the wrong. After all, she was the one who got mad and started the whole conflict
in the first place.
And the only reason why she was mad was that she found out Richard was only here to protect her at her parent‘s
behest. In other words, she was just another job.
A bitter laugh then escaped Angela as she realized she was more upset about this than she should be. What am I
getting so worked up for anyway?
She tried to analyze her own feelings, but she ended up boring herself to sleep instead.
The next day, Angela‘s alarm rang at precisely 5.50AM. She bolted upright in bed and threw the covers off, then
hurried into the adjoining bathroom to wash up. To call it a bathroom was an exaggeration though, as it was more
of a washroom with a small showering space.
It was 5.59AM by the time she was done putting on her clothes. She hurtled out of her room toward the entrance of
the base, whereupon she saw Richard‘s tall and straight silhouette standing there.
She walked up to him, and he made it a point to glance at the watch on his wrist. “You‘re late by a minute.”
Defiance colored her delicate features as she glowered at him and said, “Okay, fine, I‘m late. Are you going to
punish me? Go on, tell me what you want me to do to make up for my tardiness.”
Richard gazed down at the girl who was openly challenging him, and his eyes lingered briefly on her shell–pink lips.
He swallowed, and there was a steely edge to his expression as he barked, “Let‘s go.”
Angela had been waiting for him to mete out punishment, but when he did not, she couldn‘t help feeling a little
disappointed.
Presently, he carried a backpack full of everything he thought they would need for a hike. Angela, on the other
hand, was wearing a cap and sunblock, knowing that UV rays were the most vicious foes she could meet on this
hike other than the mountainous terrain.
Just like that, the both of them hiked up along the groove through which the mountain spring water flowed. There
were no steps here or mapped–out trails for novice hikers, making the hike a tough exercise–albeit, an authentic
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmone.
Angela kept up her pace with Richard, but halfway through, she was starting to regret her decision to agree to the
hike. Goodness, this trail is hard. It was no wonder he had forbidden her from going hiking on her own last night;
she would have lost her way or tripped several times in a row.
However, she was not a quitter, and pride had more to do with that than ambition. She didn‘t want Richard to laugh
at her after all the big talk she had given him last night.
When it came to slopes or uneven ground, Richard would hike up first, then turn and offer her a hand so that he
could help her up.
Thankfully, it did not take long for them to reach the rocky terrain where the trees were not quite as tall, and the
shrubbery was not quite as dense. The ground here was rife with wildflowers, and Angela exclaimed in awe, “This is
amazing!” She picked a couple of flowers and formed a bouquet, then sniffed its sweet fragrance as she tried to
keep up with the man in front of her.
Richard walked ahead for a few minutes before turning around to see if Angela had followed him. When he saw
that she had fallen behind by a dozen feet, he stopped and planted his hands on his hips to wait for her. She‘s not
here to hike, he decided grimly. This is just a field trip to her.
“I‘m thirsty,” she said when she reached him, panting. “Did you bring water?”
He unzipped his backpack and took out the standard–issue canteen, which he handed to her. She twisted open the
cap and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, then passed the canteen back to him.