Chapter 528 - 524: Second Meet
Hearing the constant no from the middle-aged man, it had become extremely obvious that the middle aged man wasn't going to let him meet Aaliya.
Ryder also knew the reason for it, so he didn't have high hopes even before, but he still tried to go through the normal route. Now that it was out, he was going to use the plan he had already prepared.
The last time he was here, he had already taken the personal number from Aaliya. It was all before he had reversed time, so she didn't remember giving him the letter or the number, but he had them both.
Bringing out the phone, he dialed the exact number. As he was calling the number, the middle aged man was curious as to who he was calling.
"Hello, Aaliya. Recognize my voice? Anyway, I'm standing in front of your reception. I'm here to meet you. Can you tell someone to arrange the meeting?"
"You Bastard! It's you! How did you get my number?!"
Hearing Ryder's voice again, Aaliya was furious. In her room, she stood up, enraged.
" A magician never tells his tricks. But if you still want to know how I did what I did, then arrange the meeting."
As Ryder talked, he had created the distance between him and the middle aged man so he couldn't hear his words.
"Or do you want me to pull a stunt like last time? I don't want you to disappear like your guards. So be a good girl, and arrange for a meeting, alone. And don't worry, I don't want to kill you. You don't need to have guards. If I wanted to kill you, I could have killed you ten times already," he said calmly. "I'm waiting."
Finishing up, he disconnected the call and placed the phone back in his pocket.
He walked back to the sofa and started waiting.
The middle aged man wondered who he had called. And why wasn't he leaving? His confidence was unsettling.
Curious, he approached Ryder.
"Who did you call? And why aren't you leaving?" he asked directly.
"Why should I leave? Don't worry; you'll sure know who I called," Ryder lazily said as he placed one of his legs above another and closed his eyes.
Time kept passing slowly as the man stood, curious. Did he call the president or something? Just why was he so sure? Who was capable enough to force him to take this guy to his boss without permission?
"I wanna be the very best, Like no one ever was! To catch them is my real test; to train them is my..."
As he was wondering, his phone started ringing as the ringtone started playing.
"Hmm? I remember that tone. It's from Dogemon, right? You're a fan of cartoons?" Ryder asked, opening his eyes. An amused smile was on his face.
"It's called anime!" The middle aged man snorted as he rolled his eyes. "And no, my daughter set up this ringtone. I'm not so childish."
Turning back, he brought the phone out and looked at the caller only to be surprised.
It was none other than his boss who was calling.
'Wait a minute! Don't tell me he contacted the boss? Or did he contact someone who had the contact of my boss?'
With many questions in his head, he picked up the phone.
"Yes, mam. Ah, that's right. Yes. He is here. I, ah, sorry, mam. I made a mistake. I should have informed you."
"Are you sure? But..."
"Alright. I'll bring him up."
He disconnected the call after a short conversation but that short time was enough for him to be filled with sweat.
Even his forehead was covered in sweat which he wiped with his handkerchief before he turned back.
"What happened? Did she scold you for not informing her and taking decisions on your own?" Ryder asked, amused as he stood up.
"Who did you call? Was it her?" The middle aged man asked Ryder.
"You don't need to know that. So, are we going to meet your boss or not?" He asked.
"Come with me," the man rolled his eyes before he escorted Ryder to the lift.
Through the lift, he brought her to a different office this time.
'Hmm? She isn't in her old office? Is she scared to sit there because of me?" He wondered, amused.
"Is this her new office?" He asked the middle aged man, who nodded his head.
The man knocked on the door, and after getting permission to enter, he pushed it open before entering with Ryder.
Aaliya was sitting behind the table. She had already prepared herself to see Ryder again. Gathering her courage, she had reminded herself again and again that she didn't need to stand up or act scared when he entered.
She had the backing of the Itsuki Corporation who was said to have many assassins to do their shady deals. She didn't need to worry about Ryder. They could kill him anytime. But even after all that thinking, as soon as she saw him, she couldn't control herself.
Her old memories returned as she stood up like a frightened rabbit.
Realizing what she had done, she controlled her emotions.
She reached forward and picked a pencil that was lying on the farthest edge, pretending that she had stood up to pick it up.
Picking up the pencil, she sat down again.
"You're here. Take a seat."
She calmly gestured for Ryder to sit down.
Ryder was amused at her actions, but it wasn't shocking. She was on the back foot, but she wanted to take the lead to act strong. He didn't find anything strange with it.
Stepping forward, he took a chair.
"You can leave now. I want to talk alone with Ryder," the lady told the middle aged man.
"Huh?" The man couldn't help but look at her weirdly. Just what happened to her? Just some time ago, she was so scared. She was claiming that Ryder had killed her guards when she was alone, and now she was wishing for him to be with her? Just what the heck?
Was she in her right mind? Or was fear making her make stupid decisions? He couldn't help but wonder.
"What are you looking at? Did you not hear me? Leave. I want to talk to him alone," she said to the man again.
"Sigh, yes, mam."
Seeing her determined face, the man decided to leave her on her own. Since she wanted it, then fine. At Least she couldn't blame him for leaving her alone with him when she asked him twice.
Without making her ask twice, he turned back and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Tell me what you did last time? Why doesn't anyone remember you coming to my office, and how did you make my men disappear? Also, what do you want from me? Since you're not killing me, you definitely want something. What is it?" She shot out a ton of questions, without a care in the world.
"Calm down, Princess. Ask one at a time. I can't answer all of these questions since I don't even remember most of what you said, but I think it was about what I did last time. And to answer your question, I only left you a message. A message that you shouldn't cross me. Because if you do, you'll die."
"And when you die, not a single person is going to remember you or your killer. So what's more important, your life or a single theft which you're probably doing for money? I think the answer should be simple."
"When you die, what will the money be? So be a good girl, and take back your request and tell the authorities that someone cheated you and sold you research which now you found to be stolen. Your reputation will be saved, and problems will be solved.'
Without stretching things, he directly told her what he was here for.
"So, are you ready? Because, unlike yesterday, I'm not leaving. Let's go to their office and tell them that the misunderstanding has been cleared. Because we really need the permission for those tests. So don't make it worse for us," he told the girl.
"I don't want your research anymore. Leave my office. I'll call them and tell them that it belongs to you. Go get that permission and stop annoying me. I don't want to have to do anything with you. So leave," the woman told Ryder as she rolled her eyes, not willing to go out with him alone.
In any case, things had gone overboard. This wasn't about money anymore. She wanted her life and Ryder's death. To make sure both happened, she agreed to his demands.
"Well, that was easy. Alright. Call them and tell them the truth right before me so I can leave," he told Aaliya.
"You're really suspicious. Fine. I'll call him," she said, sighing.
She picked up the phone and called the person.