Chapter 406 - 402: Love Hotel

Since Ryder was sitting and Alice was standing, his face was facing her chest. Both were at the same height. 

"Say something. What happened? Is the dress not to your liking? I can send another one," Alice asked Ryder.

Ryder blinked a few times in quick succession as he shook his head.

"It's a good dress. Don't worry about anything. Get ready fast. I've already selected a place for our outing," he said as he nodded his head.

"Hmm."

Alice stood there, looking at Ryder, but she didn't move back.

"I need to change. Are you going out?" Alice asked Ryder.

"Yeah. I'll wait out the door," Ryder said as he stood up. His gaze again fell down, but it didn't linger for longer as he turned back and left.

Alice looked towards the door, and after making sure that the door was closed, she started taking off her clothes and getting dressed.

It took Alice only fifteen minutes to get prepared. She stepped out of her room.

"You look good," Ryder praised as soon as Alice stepped out.

"Are you not getting dressed?" Alice asked Ryder, who was still in his casual clothes.

Ryder was wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. 

"What getting dressed? I'm already dressed. It's not like I'm going to find a wife. I don't think I need to look fancy," Ryder replied as he chuckled.

"I'm not going to find a husband either, but still... It's good to look our best. What would I do if people make fun of me for not looking good enough to be beside you," Alice answered, smiling. 

She started walking towards the stairs, leaving Ryder stunned at her answer.

"You already looked so pretty. I should be the one thinking about that," Ryder smiled wryly as he walked behind her. "Any guy can fall for you at first glance."

" Any guy? What about you?" Alice asked subtly as if she had asked an unimportant thing. She continued walking away at her regular pace.

"I'm a guy, aren't I? I stand by my answer. Any guy can fall for you at first glance," Ryder replied as he nodded his head.

"So you fell for me?" Alice inquired as she laughed. 

She thought that Ryder would become silent like always and pretend as if he hadn't heard it. This had happened a few times before. Whenever she talked about something like that, Ryder always ignored her. She thought that it would be the same this time as well. 

That wasn't what happened, though, as Ryder went against her expectations and answered.

"Yeah," Ryder answered.

Alice froze in her place, unable to take a step forward. Her face turned crimson. 

" What?" Alice asked.

" You heard me. I said I stand by my answer. Any guy can fall for you at first glance. You're just so awesome," Ryder said as he stopped near Alice. He rubbed her head. 

"Now, let's go. We'll get late. You'll miss the main part," he said. He reached out his hand and held Alice's hand.

He left the estate with Alice, hand in hand.

Alice could feel her heart beating irregularly after what Ryder had confessed, and holding hands now was making her even more hyper.

Ryder only released her hand when they reached the car.

He opened the door and stepped inside. Alice also stepped inside the car. 

"Were you joking?" Alice asked as Ryder started the car.

"Not at all. Who wouldn't fall for someone like you?" Ryder asked in return as he reversed the Whirlwind. 

A pleased smile appeared on Alice's face as she heard him. 

She gazed at Ryder and softly asked, "Do you remember when we were little? My mother used to bring me to your home. I always made you play house with me. It still makes me embarrassed to this day."

"Hahaha, how can I forget. You were such a brat. Even though you were younger than me, you always annoyed me so much. You made me the wife and became the husband every time. Sigh, I honestly hated it at the start," Ryder replied as he smiled wryly.

"Then the incident happened where our parents died. You came to live with me permanently. I already knew you a lot before that happened, but after living with you, I realized that whatever I knew about you wasn't even close. You were so hard working. You always took care of me like my real family. Even though your mother wasn't related to us but still, she felt like my real aunt, and you felt even closer than my real family," he muttered.

The roads weren't empty, yet he was driving at a somewhat faster speed, keeping his eyes at the door.

Hearing his words, Alice started looking down.

"Have you found a girlfriend?" she suddenly asked.

"Hmm? Why are you asking?" Ryder inquired.

"Nothing. I was just curious. You have been finding less and less time for me nowadays. It might just be work, but I wonder if some other reasons are there as well," Alice asked.

Ryder didn't feel like lying, but the truth was too complicated to tell, so he deflected the question.

" Work has been my main focus nowadays, and it does take lots of my time, making me unable to take care of you properly. That's why I ditched work today to have an outing with you."

After thirty minutes of Driving, Ryder reached the destination he wanted. He stopped the whirlwind in front of a karaoke place that had recently opened. It had the highest ratings despite being so new.

Most of the reviews said that it was a heavenly place.

Hearing such praises, Ryder decided to bring Alice here. They could eat, sing and drink—just the two of them. 

"A karaoke? Not a bad place. I would love to duet with you," Alice chuckled as she realized the place they were at. 

Ryder parked the car and stepped out with Alice.

The two of them walked inside the place.

Ryder walked to the receptionist with Alice. "Excuse me; we would like your best room."

"Of course. Are you guys on a date?" the receptionist asked as she saw the two people that looked like a couple.

"I guess it can count as a date," Ryder replied, nodding his hand.

"Hahaha, of course. I understand." the receptionist laughed as he nodded his head.

"This is the key to our most expensive room. It would cost you two hundred for an hour," he said as he placed the key on the desk.

Even though it sounded expensive for a karaoke room, Ryder didn't create trouble. He paid the guy and took the key.

A servant escorted them to the room since they were new here.

Ryder opened the room and stepped inside with Alice, only to be stunned.

Only three words left his mouth. "What... the... F-"

There was a giant TV; there was a mic and everything a Karaoke room was supposed to have. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that it even had what a place like this wasn't supposed to have.

There was a King Size bed placed in the room, which was covered in a pink bedsheet. Flower petals were placed on the bed in the shape of the heart.

Beside the bed, there was a table where a bowl was placed.

The bowl had something which even made Ryder embarrassed since he was with Alice.

There were packets of condoms inside the bowl.

"What the heck is this place? I'll go talk to that guy," Ryder said as he turned back to leave, but Alice caught her hand, preventing him from leaving.

"Don't go," Alice told Ryder.

"Why? What happened? Ah, right. You must be uncomfortable in this room. You can come with me too," Ryder said.

"No, that's not it. You don't need to go," Alice told Ryder softly.

"I have heard about places like this. I guess this is a Love Karaoke Bar. It's like a Love Hotel but with a Karaoke facility that operates mainly as Karaoke Place. I know you didn't know, but most of the rooms of this place would be like this," Alice asked Ryder. "Since we're already here, why don't we..." 

"It's done. That guy is dead. We should be getting news by the morning. Since he didn't have any family members who can inherit the company, we can take over. From now on, the Dream Corporation will belong to us," the Managing Director of the Dream Corporation, Drake, was talking to someone over the phone.

"Don't worry. I have confirmed with my sources. He was present inside the helicopter when the explosion took place. There is no way Schumacher Maxwell will ever become a roadblock in our path," he said as he nodded his head.

He stayed silent for a few seconds as he heard the reply before he answered, "Right. That guy was so stubborn. Always doing whatever he wished. Now that he is gone, I can run the company as I want. Don't worry; the real boss will only be you. I am just a way for you to rule Dream Corporation."