Chapter 406

Chapter 406: Chapter 406

No, he couldn’t let this happen—the handful of rivals he already had were giving him enough of a headache as it was.

Luke was practically fuming inside, but he didn’t dare vent his frustration at Rina. Instead, he directed a glare of pure hostility at Mark.

Mark found the whole scene baffling.

Is this guy out of his mind?

He then turned his focus to Rina. Her style was noticeably different from everyone else’s around here. Catching the eager, overly attentive looks the other two men gave her, a sudden realization clicked in his head.

Although he had never met her, Mark deduced that she was likely an executive or a high-ranking leader in the base.

He offered her a polite smile. "Yeah."

That single smile threw Rina into a complete daze, as if a soft feather were lightly tickling her heart.

Gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking, and so sweet! If only this man belonged to me...

"I don’t think I’ve seen you around. Did you just arrive at the base?" Rina asked softly, taking a step closer to him.

"Yeah," Mark replied nonchalantly, taking a step back to maintain his distance.

Rina paused, clearly not expecting him to back away. Then, her smile deepened—his cool, distant reaction had evidently piqued her interest even further.

"Are you planning to stay at the base?" she asked. "How are you finding the living conditions here? If you’re staying long-term, there are plenty of spots in the base far more comfortable than a parking lot. I can arrange a place for you."

Her tone remained gentle, but beneath that sweetness lay an unmistakable, overt intention.

Everyone present knew exactly what she was after.

Standing behind her, Luke finally couldn’t hold back any longer. "Rina... shouldn’t we be heading back?"

Rina didn’t turn around. It was as if she hadn’t heard him—or simply chose to ignore him.

Her eyes remained fixed on Mark, lingering over him as the smile stayed playing on her lips.

"What’s your name?" she asked, her voice dropping a fraction lower. "Let’s get acquainted. I’m Rina—the base commander is my father."

Throwing down those credentials, Rina believed no one could possibly turn her down. She had always been brimming with self-confidence: she was gorgeous, held top-tier status, and no man could ever resist her!

Unless that man was Mark...

"Look, I’m just trying to get a breath of fresh air," he said with a wicked grin. "You clearly are a busy person, so please, as you were."

With that, he simply turned and walked away, not sparing her a single glance.

***

"You can’t be seriously interested in that guy," Luke’s voice rang out with sharp clarity in the open night of the parking lot, taut with suppressed anxiety.

He took a few large strides forward until he was side-by-side with Rina. "You were talking to him, and he barely gave you the time of day! He didn’t even look you straight in the eye."

Why throw yourself at a guy like that?

Rina kept walking forward at her own pace, giving no answer and not even sparing him a glance.

Just as Luke assumed she hadn’t heard a word he said, her voice floated back, neither loud nor soft.

"I don’t need you to tell me that."

"If you know, then why..." Luke paused briefly, searching for the right words. "...why are you trying to get closer to him?"

Rina’s steps finally slowed. She tilted her head to glance at Luke, her gaze lingering on his face for a split second before drifting away.

She used to think Luke was quite handsome. But now, after seeing Mark, Luke suddenly seemed a little plain—and certainly not as young as Mark.

Comparisons really are cruel.

Rina let out a quiet sigh, suppressing the thought. Yet, as Mark’s strikingly gorgeous face flashed across her mind again, she couldn’t help but smile.

"Don’t you think he’s interesting?" Rina asked earnestly. "When I spoke to him, he didn’t try to kiss up to me, nor did he run away. He was perfectly straightforward with his intentions."

She was starting to feel that a distant, aloof man like him was far more captivating.

He was a real challenge.

Those men who scrambled over themselves the moment she opened her mouth were just too dull—she had seen far too many of them, and it was boring.

Now, she preferred a challenge. Just like Adam.

Watching her expression from the side, Luke felt his heart sink. His face darkened considerably. He didn’t respond or push back, walking silently at her side.

He had known all along how fickle this woman was.

Yet if Mark really joined the picture, his own standing would be squeezed even further. Among Rina’s circle of close male confidants, he was the one with the least going for him.

The others were either her childhood sweethearts or brought unique talents to the table. As for him? Aside from a handsome face, he had nothing else to offer.

No, I have to find a way to talk her out of this.

But deep down, Luke knew Rina would never listen to him.

After walking in silence for a short stretch, Luke spoke up again after a moment’s thought, his voice dropping lower than before. "Then what about Adam?"

Rina froze in her tracks.

"Why bring him up all of a sudden?" Her brows knitted together, her reluctance to talk about Adam painfully clear.

Luke didn’t offer a reply.

After a long pause, Rina finally spoke. "Adam is already mine. He can’t run away, nor will he have any objections."

Luke looked at her with a complex expression in his eyes. "Rina... did you do something to Adam?"

Hearing that, a flicker of discomfort flashed across Rina’s face. She stammered nervously, "W-What? No! What could I possibly do to him?"

Luke knew her far too well. Her guilty, evasive demeanor was a dead giveaway that she was lying, and he already had his answer.

"Is that so?"

No wonder he had felt Adam was acting strange lately. Adam used to dislike Rina—anyone with eyes could see his deep resistance to her. Yet a man like that had suddenly agreed to marry her. It was completely absurd.

As expected, Rina had done something behind the scenes.

At the thought of this, a bitter taste filled Luke’s mouth. He loved Rina so deeply, yet she was exhausting every scheme just to get another man.

How pathetic.

Rina had no intention of explaining anything further to Luke. In her mind, she owed no one an explanation for her actions.

"I’m tired. Let’s get back."

"Alright."

The two drifted further into the distance, both tacitly dropping the subject.

***

Back in the parking lot, not long after Rina and Luke had left, Mark made a few rounds around his sector, holding the folding chair.

He then turned around to head back toward the RV. As he turned, he spotted Suzy standing near the side of the vehicle.

She was leaning against it with her arms crossed, watching him.

Mark felt his heart give a heavy thud.

His footsteps paused for a brief instant before he resumed his pace.

Moments later, he arrived in front of her.