Chapter 407

Chapter 407: Chapter 407

"The wind is strong out here. Why are you outside?" Mark asked.

Suzy didn’t answer right away. She stared at his face for a long moment before speaking. "I heard voices, so I came out to take a look."

The parking lot wasn’t very big, and she had heard the conversation clearly. When she heard those other men fawning over Rina from inside the RV, she had already taken notice.

She hadn’t stepped down immediately back then, opting instead to observe through the window. But with the windows shut, the voices were too faint. Not wanting to risk opening a window and drawing attention, she had slipped outside to check on the situation.

She didn’t want to miss anything involving Rina, and she was equally curious as to why Rina had shown up here.

Suzy had found a concealed spot, standing silently in the shadows without making a sound, so no one had noticed her presence.

She had stayed in that corner listening to everything—including the raw, uninhibited look Rina had cast at Mark.

At that moment, an unfamiliar sting had flared up in her chest, as if something belonging to her was being violated by someone else.

Only when she snapped back to reality did she realize how ridiculous that sudden wave of possessiveness was.

Mark isn’t my property.

"Have you been standing here the whole time?" Mark asked.

Suzy nodded.

"When did you come down?" he asked again.

It was the first time Suzy ever thought he was so talkative, surprising her that he would actually care about such things.

"I came down as soon as I heard them coming," she said softly. "Thought something happened."

"I see." Mark stepped past her. "Get inside. It’s cold out."

Suzy was only wearing a thin jacket with slippers, and the creeping chill had left both of her feet flushed red. Spurred by his reminder, she felt the cold fully set in and picked up her pace to get back onto the RV.

Inside, the heating was already running. Stepping into the warm space, a gentle wave of heat hit her face, making her feel as though she were melting.

She stood barefoot on the soft rug, where the pale fabric made her red-chilled feet stand out even more.

Mark noticed this and quietly slipped into the bathroom. Not knowing what he was up to, Suzy assumed he was going to take a shower. The rustling sound of water coming from inside only confirmed her suspicion.

Rubbing her stiff feet together, she felt a pang of regret for not putting on socks earlier. She had rushed out in a hurry when she heard the commotion, barely feeling the cold at first. By the time she realized how freezing it was, it was already too late. She had wanted to go back inside, but feared missing any interesting drama, so she just endured it until Rina and her group finally left.

Pulling two pairs of socks from her storage space, she didn’t notice the noise in the bathroom falling silent.

Clack.

The bathroom door opened, and Mark stepped out. Suzy looked up, only to freeze in place.

He was carrying a basin of steaming water. Seeing her gaze, he walked over and set the basin right at her feet.

"Soak your feet for a bit before putting on socks," Mark said.

Suzy gave a blank nod. "Okay... thank you."

Never in a million years would she have imagined Mark fetching foot-soaking water for her. When on earth had he even noticed her feet were frozen? The more she thought about it, the more surreal it felt, making her heart skip a beat.

She carefully dipped her feet into the basin.

"How’s the temperature?" he asked.

"Just right," she replied.

Looking down at the steaming water, the white mist curled upward, blurring the space below her knees. She could feel the warmth rising from the rim, slowly wrapping around her chilled ankles and legs.

After a few seconds of silence, she asked quietly, "When did you notice?"

Mark was crouching by the edge of the sofa two paces away, about to stand up and walk off. Hearing her question, his movement paused mid-motion.

"When you were talking to me earlier, your voice was trembling."

Suzy scratched her face in embarrassment. To be honest, she hadn’t even noticed it herself—her attention had been entirely consumed by the drama outside.

"Thanks," she said.

"Don’t mention it." He paused. "You took me in. Doing something like this is the least I can do."

At the mention of taking him in, Suzy was reminded of Rina’s visit. Feigning ignorance, she asked, "What did Rina come over for?"

"So you know her?" Mark asked.

"Not really, just heard her name before."

"Nothing much. She just came by to introduce herself."

Suzy narrowed her eyes. "Really?"

Looking every bit the honest guy, Mark nodded. He had no intention of mentioning Rina’s advances—it held no meaning anyway.

Suzy stared at him for a long moment before saying, "Actually, I heard everything."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Then why ask?"

"I only caught parts of it. Standing that far away, some words weren’t clear."

Mark nodded, acknowledging her explanation. He clearly had no desire to dwell on what had happened.

Yet, inexplicably, Suzy didn’t want to drop the subject just yet.

After a quiet pause between them, she said, "Rina seems really interested in you."

"Is she?" Mark tilted his head toward the window.

"She was very forward," Suzy noted.

Rina’s intentions had been far too obvious; her interest in Mark practically spilled from her eyes, to say nothing of her words. With her sharp hearing, Suzy had caught every bit of it.

Hearing this, Mark slowly turned his head back, his gaze fixed on her. "It seems you really know everything."

"I can guess the gist of it," she admitted without denial.

Leaning back lazily against the sofa, her feet had grown thoroughly warm in the hot water.

"Honestly, it’s a good thing. Staying at the base wouldn’t be bad for you. Rina is the base commander’s daughter. If she decides to help you, your life in P City will be much more comfortable than it is now."

She paused slightly before continuing, "That way, you wouldn’t have to keep running around following me everywhere."

As she spoke, Suzy kept her head down, avoiding his eyes. She was never good at saying things like this.

A quiet sigh drifted through the air—or perhaps she had imagined it.

"The water should be getting cold," Mark said. "I’ll dump it out."

He crouched before her once more, gesturing for her to lift her feet.

"Okay."

As she lifted her feet, Mark draped a dry towel over them, wrapping them gently. Setting her feet down softly, he picked up the basin and stepped off the RV.

Suzy didn’t understand why he needed to go outside to empty it. It took him about three minutes to return—a stretch of time that flew by for her only because she was lost in thought herself, wondering why he had abruptly dodged the topic and whether she should push it further.

The sound of the door opening snapped her back to reality.

"Where did you go to dump the water?"

"Walked a bit further out."

"You could’ve dumped it nearby."

"Might not be good if someone saw."

"Then you should’ve just poured it down the toilet."

"I wanted to step out for some fresh air."

The conversation ground to a sudden halt. For a moment, Suzy didn’t know what else to say.

Instead, after putting the basin away, Mark sat down across from her.

"Do you want me to stay here? With Rina?"

Suzy spoke in a hushed tone, "It’s not a matter of what I want. It’s your decision—you should choose for yourself."

"What if I say I don’t want to stay here?"

Suzy’s fingers curled slightly against her knees. "Then don’t."

The corners of Mark’s lips curved into a faint smile.

A moment later, he looked at her again. "Do you want me to leave?"

Suzy’s mind went completely blank, a sudden ringing in her ears. "Does that matter?" she countered.

"It matters," he said.

Suzy glanced at him, dodging the question with an abrupt shift of topic. "It’s getting late. Let’s rest."

Mark stared at her for a few seconds, his light brown eyes gleaming quietly in the dim light. "Alright."

With a tacit understanding, neither brought up the topic again as they cleared their things and got into bed.

Suzy spoke into the darkness, "I have to head out again tomorrow. I’ll need you to watch the car again."

"Got it," Mark replied.

Suzy switched off the lights and lay down. In the dark, the soft rhythm of their breathing intertwined.

"Will you be back late again?" he asked suddenly.

Suzy paused. "I’ll try to come back as early as I can."

"Mhm."

She heard him turn over in bed. Closing her eyes, she rolled onto her side as well.

"When are we taking on missions?" he asked again.

It was truly the first time she had ever felt he talked so much.

"No rush. Let’s wait a few days," she explained.

"Okay." After a brief silence, he added, "What if Rina comes looking for me again tomorrow?"

That question stumped her. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

"Are you..."

"Am I talking too much?" Mark asked.