Nina looks at the round chocolate piece. When did someone ever ask for friends.h.i.+p? She can"t remember. Before her parents died, she was quite introverted and shy. She couldn"t make friends easily. After everything that happened, she had no choice but to change herself.
Seeing that she"s not eating, Ren picks it up and shoves it inside her mouth. "I don"t want you to reject my friends.h.i.+p offer. Since it"s already in your mouth, we are friends. Tell me now. What is this about?"
She chews it. The chocolate is extra sweet. "You can"t help us."
"Us?" He scatches his head. Then, it comes to him. "Rie too?"
She nods. "I don"t know who hacked me. But, I know that she hacked DH. The current situation is created by her to get me some time. If anyone from the inner circle of the DH is hacked or any person tries to leave, they are killed by the DH"s leader."
"That man at the grocery store was sent by DH?" Ren frowns.
"Yes." Nina stares at him. It seems that she"s done for this man. She"s the one who has fallen first. This is a catastrophe. She has no idea how to manage this disaster.
"What is Rie going to do?" Ren asks her, not noticing the slight blush on her cheeks and the change in her beautiful eyes.
"She will probably hunt down Maddox and Yuan Bo." Nina can"t guess what"s going inside Rie"s head. The destruction of the DH was quick. It hadn"t been a day since she talked to Rie. Why is she suddenly going this far and why DH wanted to use her as a p.a.w.n against Rie? Now, she"s useless as a p.a.w.n. What will happen to her now? She has to check if there"s a bounty on her head.
Her phone rings once. She picks up the phone in a hurry and checks the text. It"s from Rie. She"s surprised and relieved. When she opens the text, she frowns deeply.
[Look into the connection between Consortium of the Sinners and Maddox. I have sent some people. They will take you to a safe place. If Ren is with you, take care of him.]
Nina purses her lips. The consortium of the sinners? Isn"t that an old underground power that died nearly twenty years ago? The consortium of the sinners only had geniuses with IQ more than 160. It was pretty similar to the DH, but it was a lot worse. They were masters of conspiracies and they were behind many world level disasters. She heard that some of them even instigated a war between the two countries. There"s no end to the rumour. They had power, money, and intelligence. But, they fell apart when the president died suddenly.
Maddox was connected to that? Why is she not surprised? DH"s inner circle is similar to the sinners" consortium. The organization is dead. What"s the point of looking into the connection between Maddox and that organization? If Rie wants to know, she will look into it.
"What"s wrong?" Ren finds her expression disturbing.
"Rie"s orders." She winks at him. "Your friend handed you over to me."
"She can"t do that. I am not hers."
"Then, be mine."
"Ninchan, can"t you spend five minutes without saying something like that?" Ren shakes his head.
He"s not taking her seriously. She c.o.c.ks her head and pouts.
Sound of moanings penetrates through the wall. Ren looks back at the wall. His face is blank.
"They are doing it again." Nina stretches her arms. "I can sleep now."
"How can you sleep while listening to that?" He looks at her with disbelief. Two men are groaning on the other side of the wall. He can pretty much guess what"s going on there.
"Do you want to compete?" She grins at him.
"Compete?" He furrows his brows.
"Who can f.u.c.k louder?" She asks him with a teasing voice.
"Nina." Ren makes more distance between them. "Don"t start again."
"You don"t like me." She lets out a weak sigh. "I am not cute enough for you."
Ren looks at her. Cute? She"s cute at some moments like this one. There"s a flicker of sadness in her eyes, but she hides it from him. He doesn"t like it when she wants to seduce him just because she wants to get his body. He can see that her smile is meeting her eyes right now. It"s not like before.
"I like your smile right now, Nina chan," Ren tells her with an honest gaze. "You are beautiful."
She chuckles. "I am still not cute."
He laughs nervously and looks away. "You are cute right now."
"Cuter than your 2D girls?" Nina moves closer to him.
"No, you can"t compare to them," He replies with a straightforward voice.
The smile on Nina"s face freeze when she hears that. "You are too honest, Ren kun. Perhaps, that"s why you don"t have a girlfriend."
"I don"t need a woman." Ren glares at her. "Stop making fun of me."
"You are the one who started it." Nina scoffs at him. "Why are you comparing me with your anime girls?"
"You asked me if you are cuter than them." Ren creases his forehead. "Nina chan, you are quite beautiful as a 3D person, but you will never be as cute as the 2D girls."
Nina fists her hands and starts pounding his head. "They are not real people. What"s wrong with your head and eyes? I have never met anyone like this. Why I am into this man of all the men in the world?"
Ren has heard saying similar words a lot of time. So, he doesn"t take her accidental confession seriously. "Nina chan, you are wounded. Don"t move too fast."
She lets go of him. Her heart clenches when she sees him looking at her like that. He hasn"t even noticed. This thick-headed man who gets turned on by 2D girls is impossible to seduce. Somehow, she is in love with him. Someone as kind as him doesn"t deserve a woman who might get killed at any moment in her life.
"Will you wear anything there?" He points at her legs. "It"s making me uncomfortable."
"I am wearing this." She parts her legs and points at her panty. She"s a shameless woman. Since she can"t waver this man"s heart, she doesn"t want to change either. Love isn"t enough for her to change. "We are friends. We can see each other"s undergarments. You can take off yours. Then, you won"t feel uncomfortable. "
Ren is growing immune to her tactics now. He gets up and finds her jeans lying in the corner of the room. He hurls it on her face. "Wear that."
"Such goodie two shoes." Nina wears the jeans reluctantly.
When they hear someone knocking on the door, both of them are surprised. Ren signals her to be quiet. Nina is points the gun at the door.
"Who is it?" Ren asks with a cautious voice.
"Instant sent us."
They let out a breath of relief. She puts the gun back into her pocket. Ren turns the k.n.o.b and pulls the door. Two men in casual clothes step into the motel room. Both men are dressed in casual black clothes. Ren notices their leather boots first. They are covered with mud. Is it raining outside?
The bearded man is in his mid-40s and has a professional smile. The shorter man is carrying a suitcase.
The bearded man smiles at Nina. "Are you Nano?"
She gives him a nod and inserts her hands in her pockets, touching the gun. The bearded man turns to Ren. "You must be extra baggage."
Extra baggage? The corner of Ren"s lips twitch. Why he is the extra baggage?
The shorter man opens the suitcase and takes out items. "We will escort you to the location. Kindly change into this."
Ren"s and Nina"s expression change when they see what Rie has prepared for them. Why must they wear them?
"Is there no other way?" Ren wrinkles his nose.
"Since I am paying for the extra baggage, I will decide what you get to wear." The bearded man shows them a toothy smile. "That"s her message."
What a bully!