Too Late She Already Married Mr. Right (Sophia) novel Chapter 165

Her skin was so smooth and sensitive that after only a few gentle rubs, her cheeks were already flushed pink. Worried he might hurt her, Richard instantly softened his movements, even more tender.

“How’d you manage to get yourself covered head to toe in dust like this?” Richard murmured, the tease in his voice full of fondness.

Sophia could feel the air between them getting almost too intimate, and when Richard awkwardly tried to keep the conversation going, she quickly cut in, hoping to steer things back to something safer.

“When the earthquake hit last night, a lot of people didn’t even have time to get out and got trapped underneath the debris,” she hurriedly explained.

“There weren’t enough soldiers on the rescue teams, so I jumped in to help out,” she added.

Richard hadn’t expected her to throw caution to the wind like that, and he couldn’t help but knit his brows.

“You weren’t scared at all?” Richard asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Word was that, since this morning, there had already been three pretty intense aftershocks.

It was seriously risky stuff–whether they were stuck under the rubble or out there trying to pull people out.

Sophia nodded, then shook her head. “Sure, I was scared. Who wouldn’t be? But when lives are on the line, you can’t afford to waste a single second.

“Seven years ago, when that killer earthquake hit, the townspeople kept digging around the clock to save people. If it weren’t for them working nonstop like that, I’d be long gone.”

Richard thought, ‘Seven years ago…

He’d been in Ginkgo Town back then, too–just starting to make waves on Wallinton.

When word about the earthquake reached him overseas, he sent over a load of supplies and personally flew in to help with the rescue.

He arrived on the third day after the quake. Some university professors had been working on research projects in the town and got trapped when the buildings collapsed.

Without a second thought for his own safety, Richard risked his own neck to join Edward in the rescue effort.

For a whole seven days, they kept digging and digging. Pretty much everyone was saying it was hopeless- there was no way anyone could have survived. But not a single soul was willing to give up.

By the eighth day, against all odds, they broke through to the lab and discovered the very last survivor inside.

Richard could still remember that moment–when someone finally picked up the faintest sign of breathing and a heartbeat, everybody just exploded with happiness and disbelief, their relief almost overwhelming.

But before she could even come to, he got an emergency call and had to fly back to Wallinton in a rush.

When Richard saw Sophia again, he recognized her in an instant–she was that same girl he’d pulled from the earthquake rubble with his own hands seven years ago. He never forgot that moment, no matter how much time passed.

But when he looked at her now, there wasn’t even a flicker of recognition in her eyes. She clearly didn’t remember him at all.

Sophia noticed Richard had gone quiet for a while, so she looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

Richard said, “Nothing.”

Richard put the handkerchief away. The dirt on her face had already dried; wiping it off like this wasn’t going to clean her up properly.

“I’ll go get you a basin of water. Wash up and get something to eat first–then I’ll go with you to help with the rescue,” he said.

With that, he turned and strode off, heading to find a basin and fill it up.

Sophia watched his tall, broad–shouldered frame stride away, and couldn’t help but furrow her brows.

The way Richard looked at her just now was honestly weird–like they went way back, somehow.

But if she’d ever met a guy like Richard before, there was no way she’d forget it. He was too good–looking. Just one glance, and that face would be burned into her memory forever.

After Annabelle got dragged off by that military guy, she couldn’t help but feel a little giddy—she’d always been a sucker for men in uniform, especially those in military uniforms.

She glanced at his broodingly handsome face, looking all serious, like the whole world owed him a lot.

She couldn’t help but flirt a little. “Hey, soldier, now that you’ve grabbed my hand, you know we’re close now, right?”

The guy looked to be in his early thirties, totally rocking that righteous hero vibe. When he heard her, he just gave Annabelle a quick side–eye.

“Ms. Quinn, I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve tried flirting with a guy like this, huh?” he teased, obviously not falling for her act.

Annabelle thought he’d get shy, but instead, he totally caught her off guard. “Hey, soldier, this is the first time I’m flirting with you. If you refuse, I’m so going to tell your superior on you,” she said.

The man released her hand, dropping his thick lashes, and pinned her with an unblinking, dead–serious gaze.

“So, you really plan on latching onto me, huh?” he asked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Annabelle gave him a wicked little wink. “Haven’t I made myself obvious enough?”