" Oh right, The guy came with the clothes. I kept them in the room. You can get dressed,

" Ryder reminded Alice before he stepped inside the bathroom.

He took off the rest of his clothes and turned on the shower.

Alice went to get dressed. The butler had brought a couple of dresses for Alice, all of the different sizes so that she could find the perfect fit for her. He did the same thing for Ryder. All those clothes were kept in the bedroom.

Alice went through the clothes and found a skirt that was long enough to cover her feet entirely.

Alice got dressed and came back to the hall.

She sat on the sofa as she started waiting for Ryder to come out.

After a few minutes, Ryder came out of the shower. The towel was wrapped around his waist, leaving her upper body care for Alice to see.

Another towel was on his head, which he was using to dry his wet hair.

"What happened? Do I look good too?

" Ryder asked Alice after noticing her looking at him. He couldn't help but chuckle.

" Since when did you get those abs?

" Alice inquired as she looked at Ryder.

" Hah, Of Course, I worked hard for them. I have been getting some exercise daily, I guess,

" Ryder replied as he smiled.

He couldn't help but realize that it was because of everything he had been doing, like jumping through the fences or running. His real-life had become even more of an adventure then Divinity.

His body wasn't bulky at all. He had more of an athletic build, but his body was pretty fit.

" That's nice. You weren't interested in those things before, though. Are you doing this to impress girls?

" Alice asked as she rolled her eyes.

" Why? Are you jealous?

" Ryder asked teasingly.

"Hmph, why would I be jealous. Go, find all the girls you need,

" Alice let out in an annoyed tone.

"All the girls? So you wouldn't mind if I get all the girls?

" Ryder couldn't help but laugh at her response.

"Why should I mind. It's your life,

" Alice said as she looked down.

"Go ahead, get the girls, and leave me behind.

"

Ryder saw her childlike expressions as he started walking closer to her and stood before her.

He placed his hand on her head and started messing with her hair.

Alice raised her head and looked in his eyes.

" You idiot, There's no way I can leave you behind. Don't worry. The only girl I would ever think about impressing is sitting right before me,

" Ryder let out as he smiled innocently.

"Now let me get dressed and don't have these stupid thoughts about me leaving,

" Ryder let out as he started walking towards the bedroom to get dressed, leaving the dazed Alice behind.

Ryder went into the room and got dressed before coming out.

As soon as he came out, he heard a knock on the door.

Ryder went to the door and opened it only to find Shu standing there.

"Are you done with your work?

" Ryder asked Shu.

"Yeah, they were here to get a deal done. We got the deal,

" Shu replied as he shook his head.

"Anyway, I met the doctor. She said that you two are perfectly fine. That's good to know,

" he added.

" I told you I was fine. The blood on my clothes wasn't mine,

" Ryder replied.

" Anyway, Why are you standing outside? It's your home, after all. Come inside and talk,

" Ryder said as he smiled wryly.

He and Shu got inside the room.

"Brother Shu, Thank you for the help,

" Alice thanked Shu for helping her brother.

"Little girl, you're the little sister of Brother Ryder. In that way, you're my sister as well. A sister isn't supposed to thank a brother just like he isn't supposed to thank me,

" Shu chuckled as he waved his hand.

Ryder didn't reply and simply smiled at Shu's response. He was somewhat surprised that people as decent as Shu existed in the world.

" Anyway, do you plan to go back home? If the kidnappers can break into your home, then it's not much safe,

" Shu asked Ryder.

"I understand that. I will be getting a new house. I'll also be hiring some security for Alice. They can't do anything to me, so I don't have to worry, but I don't want her to get injured because of me,

" Ryder let out as he shook his head.

" How about you stay here instead? This place can be considered one of the safest places in the city. She can also use my security when she's outside. No one will think about harming her,

" Shy suggested as he looked at Ryder.

" Sigh, It is a good offer, and I do want to thank you, but as you said, brothers don't thank each other. Just know, when you need me, I will never hesitate,

" Ryder let out as he placed his hand on Shu's shoulders.

"You already helped me so much by being my brother. Just focus on your work and don't think about anything else. I'll be leaving now. You guys can have rest,

" Shu said as he got ready to leave, but Ryder's phone started ringing.

Ryder picked up the phone.

"Yeah, Bastion. What's up?

" Ryder said.

" Today is the reunion of our book club. Are you coming or not?

" Bastion asked Ryder.

" I told you that I'm not coming to the Reunion. You know the reason. As long as that person is there, I don't even think about coming. Forget it. There's not even a need for a reunion in this day and age where we can talk to anyone around the world,

" Ryder let out as he shook his head.

"Sigh, Comeon Man, That guy promised me that she's not coming. Be a good brother and come. I promise she won't be here. Listen to me, alright,

" Bastion said to Ryder in an effort to convince him.

" You sure that person won't be there? I was told that person wasn't in the city at all when I found that person in the city. I'm telling you that it wouldn't be good if I came here, and that person came as well,

" Ryder let out in a serious tone.

"I got the promise from that guy. He said that he didn't even send the invitation. There is no way someone will come without an invitation. You can rest assured,

" Bastion comforted Ryder.

"Fine. I'll come,

" Ryder sighed as he agreed.

"Just hold on for a minute,

" Ryder said as he suddenly thought of something.

"Are you free today?

" Ryder asked Shu.

"Me? Yeah, I don't have anything to do,

" Shu replied as he shook his head.

"That's good then. You're coming with me to my Reunion,

" Ryder told Shu before he disconnected the call.

" Yeah, sorry for that. I'm back. So, I'm coming. I'm bringing Shu as well,

" Ryder said to Bastion as he placed the phone near his ear.

" Shu? Oh right. That guy I met at your house. It's fine. Bring him as well. I think I already told him to come with you last time,

" Bastion replied as he agreed.

"Alright.

"

Ryder disconnected the call.

"Were you talking about that book club reunion from that time?

" Shu asked Ryder.

"Yeah, That was Bastion over the phone. It's the afternoon, so you can relax until then,

" Ryder told Shu.

"Oh, right. My Whirlwind is destroyed, so you'll need to take your car,

" Ryder told Shu as he smiled wryly.

"That's fine. I have lots of cars. If you want to take a separate car from me, you can do that as well, or we can both go in my Ferrari 2047,

" Shu suggested.

" Yeah, Let's go in one. It's not like we're going to show off. One car is fine,

" Ryder chuckled.

"Cool. You can rest now. I'll be downstairs. Tell me when you're ready to leave,

" Shu said before he left the room.

Shu left, but Ryder noticed that Alice was staring at him.

" Don't look at me like that. You'll fall in love,

" Ryder let out teasingly as he placed he smiled.

"The person you were talking about that you don't want to be in the book club reunion... is it that girl?

" Alice ignored his words and asked him a question.

Ryder was surprised at her question. Did she know that girl and what happened? How did she know? He couldn't help but wonder.

" Which girl are you talking about?

" Ryder asked Alice.

"The girl who used to be your best friend,

" Alice replied.

"The girl who left you broken...

"

"There's no need to talk about that. The past is the past. Still, who told you about this?

" Ryder inquired in full seriousness.

"It doesn't matter who told me this,

" Alice let out as she shook her head.

"Are you still not over her?

" She asked Ryder.

" What I'm not over her? She doesn't even exist for me. I'm in a different world, and she's in a different world,

" Ryder replied.