A Spoonful of Sugar: Don't Beg for Love

"Mr. Duval, it's nice to finally meet you. Please be nice to me." Riley winked at Rickard. If it was not for the gun in Riley's hand that was equipped with a silencer, others might actually suspect that there was a fling between the two of them.

Renfrew stared at Riley, who was standing in front of him, in surprise. Riley also noticed Renfrew's gaze at this moment, stretched out his hand, and waved at him. "It's been a long time, Ren. I didn't expect you to remember me after only meeting me once. What a great honor."

The atmosphere in the ward was at a stalemate for a moment. Rickard's men had already surrounded Riley and 013 from outside.

Both parties had guns, so Riley raised his eyebrows. "Oh my, Mr. Duval. You seem to be a very law-abiding man to me. I didn't expect you to own guns... How courageous is this. I've always admired such men."

"Okay, enough with all this bullsh*t. The task on hand is our top priority." 013 interrupted Riley and then whispered from the side, "And something smells fishy."

'I don't see Benji here. This doesn't feel right. After all, Benji is Rickard's secretary and personal assistant; they've always been inseparable. So, why is Benji not here during such an important time when they're trying to protect Renfrew? Then he most probably is at Hesper's.'

The two parties were in a stalemate for a while. Riley also realized that they could not delay their plan any longer, so he took the lead to take a few steps forward and try to snatch Renfrew from Rickard's hand, but he missed and got elbowed by Rickard instead.

"Aah... Mr. Duval, how can you hit a woman?"

As soon as Riley made a move, it seemed as if a switch had been flicked. 013 immediately led their men into a brawl with those of Rickard, while Rickard protected Renfrew in his arms and said coldly, "Can you even be considered a woman?"

"Hmm, why don't I count?" Riley stuck his tongue out mischievously. "You've investigated me in advance, haven't you? From what I can see, it seems that you've been secretly in love with me for a long time. I'l give you a chance to get me."

As he said so, Riley swept his leg across Rickard's face, and Rickard barely sidestepped the kick. Riley did not give him a chance to catch his breath and punched him again, but Rickard grabbed him by his wrist.

"Riley Simms, a professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of Emperion. You used to be a well-known psychologist in Emperion and even had your own clinic. However, you got sued one day... It was because of a lawsuit that had something to do with suicide induction."

Riley's expression dimmed, but there was still a smile on his face.

"Wow, the information that you have is quite detailed."

On the other side of the ward, 013 had gradually fallen into a disadvantage. Riley also saw that it was almost impossible for them to take Renfrew away, so he winked at 013, then turned around and opened the window of the ward.

They were on the seventh floor, but he jumped out of the window without any hesitation.

013 followed closely; their men took advantage of the chaos and fled the scene. And like roaches, they were so slippery that none of them got caught by Rickard's men. Rickard opened his mouth. "Stop."

He gently placed Renfrew back on the bed, met Renfrew's worried and frightened gaze, and rubbed his head. "Don't create more trouble. We'll talk after the operation."

"Okay."

The ward was now temporarily safe, so Rickard took out his phone and sent Benji a message with a frown.

[Rickard: Did anything happen to Hesper?]

...

A minute passed after the message was sent, but there was no reply.