"It's none of your business and that is not true. You think Belinda is as vain as you are? Next time, consider well who you plan on bribing before offering them money. Just in case you make a fool of yourself again." Duke moved toward the exclusive elevator as soon as he finished his last sentence, leaving Rachel standing alone in the parking lot.
Belinda, Belinda, Belinda. That name was all he mentioned. What was so special about her? Why was she so important to Duke? Rachel wondered, 'Why does he hate me so much? What can I do to change his mind?' It seemed difficult. But she wouldn't give up so easily. She would persist as long as there was even a trace of hope. Once again, she mustered all her courage and confidence to start plotting. She would make Duke choose her over Belinda in the end. He had to.
Duke stood against the back of the elevator with his eyes closed. He was frustrated. After everything that had apparently happened last evening, Belinda had remained calm when they were together. She hadn't even been angry at him. Did he mean anything at all to her? How could she mention nothing to him after a woman had acted so insultingly toward her?
He sighed quietly. All the sweetness and romance from the night seemed ironic now. Maybe it had been a one-sided affair. Maybe it had just been him who had been moved at that moment. He felt so silly.
Duke walked into his office with a long face. His good mood had deflated. The entire morning, everyone within a five hundred meter radius could sense that the boss was upset. Not one employee dared to speak loudly, afraid it would cause him to have an outburst. It was so quiet that one would be able to hear a pin drop.
Hero had been in a coma after the operation. Daisy was about to give up hope when she got a call from Tom saying he had finally come around. That was exciting news indeed. Daisy was much relieved. She wanted to pay him a visit, but she was in the middle of training in a mountain right now. It had to wait.
Daisy had been quite busy with training projects. She left home at the first light of morning and came back very late. As energetic as she was, she was exhausted at the end of the day,. The soldiers were a different matter altogether. So she planned to give them two days off after the survival training. It happened to be Duke and Belinda's wedding the day after tomorrow, so she too would take some time off to attend the nuptials.
"Colonel, are we really going to spend 24 hours here?" Mark asked as he wiped off the sweat on his forehead. It was dry and sweltering in the mountain. Luckily, the trees provided some welcome shade.
"Yes, that's right. We must find food for ourselves. And tell everyone to be careful with the fire," Daisy said, biting her chapped lips. After all, safety came first. This wasn't her first survival training with the soldiers. She thought that the soldiers had acquired basic knowledge about survival.
"Yes, Colonel." Mark saluted Daisy and turned to deliver her new instructions to the company leaders.
Daisy was wearing a camouflaging uniform. Even her face had been camouflaged to disguise. Only by her coiled hair could one tell who she was.
In all honestly, this place was better than the military academy she had been in. Firstly, there were no wild animals here that one usually encountered in the jungles. Nor were there swamps that could swallow up an entire person. Even deathly poisonous plants were absent, which could kill a person by one single, accidental touch. Daisy considered this training to be much easier. It had hardly any extreme challenges.
On such occasions as today, Daisy was very grateful for the hardships she had gone through in the military academy. From an unbothered teenager, it had helped her grow into an all-round special technical soldier. She had never regretted spending her best years there. She was quite proud of it.
Looking through the telescope at the soldiers, Daisy frowned. A long while had passed, but there was no sign of battle. The soldiers must be exhausted. They were slowing down.
Daisy bowed her head and considered for a while. Then she put the telescope aside, donned a camouflaging cap and left the commanding zone. She prowled toward her destination.
The mountain was full of looming trees. The grass was at a better height than a person would be. It was hard to find anyone hiding in the grass. But not for Daisy, who knew the surroundings very well.
She had divided the troops into four teams and two sides. The side which exterminated all the soldiers of the other side won. The training had been on for nearly two hours, yet the battle hadn't even begun. Daisy felt a bit anxious. She decided to do something to trigger the conflict.
Inching in cautiously, she studied the surroundings. With her cap on, nobody could recognize her. When she hit a soldier and stirred clamor, everyone thought she was an ordinary soldier from the other side. That was exactly what she wanted. Only a conflict could start the fight and thus put the battle to an end early on. In reality, to win a fight, her soldiers needed to be swift enough to respond. Spending too much time observing and defending was a waste of time and wouldn't help them win.
The quiet battle field became dynamic. Daisy was involved in the fight too. Too hard to combat with, she soon became the target of the soldiers, leaving her no chance to sneak back to the commanding zone. Both sides saw her as an enemy from the opposing side. It seemed like she had gotten herself into trouble. But she wasn't mad about it. A big smile spread on her face from the thrill of it.
Although the camouflaging oil covered her face, her glamor wasn't undermined at all. Among the soldiers, she was still the highlight of the fight. She knew how to cover herself and managed to retreat from the field. It was the soldiers' show time after all. The battle would be long and exhausting. The soldiers had to defend themselves and find their food at the same time. Daisy was waiting to see which side would win at long last.
It was daytime now. The situation would get harder for them when it got dark. Daisy hoped they could climb over the mountain as soon as possible. Next, they would have to go on a slope, which was favorable for night marching. Then the danger would be reduced.
Daisy assumed that neither of the two sides would risk lighting a fire, which would expose themselves to their enemy and get them killed.