Angela snickered. “It’s almost winter and the snakes are hibernating. Can’t you come up with a better excuse?”
“You-” Ariel’s face continued to flush as she had never been so embarrassed before. It did not help that Angela kept making her look bad in front of Richard.
Behind Angela was Richard himself, whose lips were slightly curved up. He did not expect her to see him as her boyfriend so assuredly.
“Please say something, Captain Lloyd. I don’t want to be misunderstood.” Ariel whined at Richard, feeling wronged.
Angela turned her head to look at the man behind her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and the resentment was evident in her eyes; it seemed like she was blaming him for letting another woman hug him so easily.
Oh the other hand, Ariel realized that it was not graceful for her to sit on the ground. As such, she stood up while placing a hand on her waist to look frail.
“Miss Meyers, you need evidence before you make an accusation. You can’t just say what you want.” Ariel tried to defend herself.
Angela looked directly at Ariel and warned, “I’m only letting you off just this once. Don’t let me catch you trying to seduce my man again. Otherwise, I won’t let you off the hook.”
“How so? Are you going to beat me up?” Ariel dropped the act and stood tall. She did not think that Angela was a match for her.
Hearing that, Angela choked for a moment. As she was scrambling her mind for a comeback, a deep male voice came through. “Ariel, this is a base. You are in no place to be so presumptuous, so keep yourself in check.”
Richard stood beside Angela. His tall body and sharp eyes made him look majestic. He was a fierce beast, but he was also Angela’s trusted support. Angela was also surprised, and she looked up at him. At this moment, the eyes that looked at her were so tender that they melted her
heart. It felt great to be protected.
Meanwhile, hatred boiled in Ariel’s heart. She swore to never forget today’s humiliation, for she had never been so insulted by someone.
“Captain Lloyd, I didn’t mean that literally. I wouldn’t dare fight at all. I can’t even kill a chick.” Ariel quickly lowered. her voice and explained herself.
Since it was too awkward for her to stay, she turned around and left in a different direction.
As she left, Angela turned around and asked Richard worriedly, “I heard you’re in a bad mood. What happened?”
Richard blinked his eyes at her question. Did she run all the way here because I was in a bad mood?
“I’m okay.” He shook his head as he was never one to be emotional.
She knew they were not at that stage where he would share his feelings, but she still felt dejected nonetheless. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m here whenever you need me.”
He felt lost, for she had misunderstood him. If he talked about his situation, it would only worry her. Her life had always been peaceful, and he did not want these dark things to haunt her. All his life, there were rarely unexpected situations, but she was one of them as she barged into his heart so unexpectedly.
“Let’s head back,” said Richard. Then, he briskly turned around.
Angela stood still and looked at him with forlorn eyes like a kitten who had been abandoned by its owner.
He sighed and turned back around. After grabbing her hand, he walked forward while she followed suit. As they neared the base’s entrance, she pulled her hand back when they met people.
A moment later, they got their food trays and sat beside Trevor and the rest. Richard’s subordinates were relieved to see their superior in a better mood. Indeed, it was the right decision to ask Angela to comfort him.
However, Angela was still quite frustrated. She wanted to comfort Richard, but he did not even tell her what happened. She could not do anything.
After they were done eating, Richard asked Willy to meet him at the boxing gym at 3.00PM. He also made it compulsory for the other three to attend.
“Can I watch too?” Angela wanted to join in.
“Sure, Miss Meyers. Come and see how badly we’d be beaten up by Mr. Richard,” said Jared jokingly.
