Chapter 209 - Mutual Attraction

Oliver looked around the laundromat. It was a proper fully functioning one with a row of washing machines and a row of dryers. A short old Chinese man and woman were folding and ironing clothes indifferently as the group of men, Tyson, Trisha, and Oliver walked past.

Oliver glanced at the old woman curiously. Wasn't she phased by this scene? After all, everyone in Chinatown knew who Tyson was.

But, the old woman simply smiled at him and continued what she was doing.

Soon, the group of men stopped in front of a wall. Oliver caught up and tugged Trisha on the sleeve. "What are we doing in here?" he asked.

At that moment, one of the men placed his palm against the wall and a hidden door suddenly opened.

Oliver looked at Trisha in surprise as she stepped through without even batting an eyelid.

As soon as Oliver followed Trisha through the door, the door sealed shut again and Oliver realized he was standing inside an elevator. The elevator lowered beneath ground level, roughly equivalent to 1-2 floors and stopped. The doors then opened again and everyone stepped out.

Oliver's eyes opened wide in shock as he looked around him. 

They were standing in an underground office of some sort. There were screens and computers everywhere and a couple of men seemed to be monitoring some cameras. What was this place and what were these people doing?

The men dragged Tyson to a room, while Trisha led Oliver to another room.

Inside the room, there was a sofa, a water dispenser, and some snacks. "Do you want some water?" Trisha offered.

Oliver shook his head. "What is this place?" he asked.

"Interpol monitoring station," Trisha replied straightforwardly.

Oliver felt his mind almost explode when he heard the woman's response.

"I-I-Interpol?!" he exclaimed.

"I told you to leave. Why did you come back?" Trisha frowned.

"That punk was taking advantage of you! I couldn't abandon a woman and leave on my own," Oliver replied. "What if something happened to you?"

As Oliver spoke, he looked around the office and realized how ridiculous he sounded. This woman was never in danger - she had a whole team watching over her. Suddenly, he felt a little guilty. He was trying to be a hero, but did he accidentally compromise her identity?

Trisha glared at the man, but she felt slightly moved by his actions. He was no agent or skilled martial artist; he was just an average man. Yet, he threw himself into danger for her.

"Then why did you continue with your story when I specifically told you not to?" she asked.

"If every reporter stopped reporting on things because they were told not to, then the truth would never be revealed. I believe in truth and justice. I think bad people should be exposed and good people acknowledged," Oliver replied.

Trisha looked into the man's diamond blue eyes and felt her heart skip a beat. There was something oddly attractive about him.

"By the way, thank you for saving my life. I know I would have been dead meat if Tyson brought me back to your boss," Oliver said with slight guilt in his voice. "You're an undercover agent, aren't you? Did I compromise your identity?"

Trisha sighed, "I'm not sure if Tyson realized I knocked him out, but my colleagues will be detaining him for a while anyway. I am going after the boss tomorrow. If everything goes to plan, my mission will be completed and everyone will be thrown behind bars. They will naturally know my identity then."

"Tomorrow?" Oliver gasped in surprise. "You're actually taking down Benjamin Yuan? He is the very definition of evil!"

Trisha simply nodded her head and walked towards the door, "That's why I need you to cooperate and stay here until the mission is over. We can't afford to make any mistakes. Can you do that?"

As she asked this question, Trisha turned around and looked at Oliver, "You can either do it willingly and relax in this room until it's over, or I can handcuff you and lock you up. It's your choice."

Oliver looked at the woman. She was different from any woman he had ever met. She was sassy, cool, mysterious and righteous. He knew she wanted to protect him and he didn't want to get in her way, so he nodded his head. "Stay safe," he said.

Trisha smiled. It was the first time she had smiled at him and it made his heart flutter.

As she turned to leave, Oliver suddenly remembered something. "Wait, I almost forgot, I have some information that may be of help to you," he said as he grabbed a USB stick from his bag. "This is all my research. Make sure you take that evil son of a b*tch down tomorrow. I'll wait down here for the good news." 

Trisha held onto the USB stick and nodded her head.

As soon as she left the room, she plugged the USB stick into one of the computers to see what Oliver had found. "Wow, he's good," she exclaimed as she scrolled through pages and pages of evidence and photos. She then handed the USB stick to her colleague, "Look through this and see if we can use any of it. I want that b*stard to rot in jail."

As she headed back into the elevator, she smiled. That man was impressive and different from any reporter she had ever met before.

...

The next day, everything went as planned and Trisha successfully led a raid on Benjamin Yuan.

From the underground office, there were cameras monitoring the area and a few of her colleagues watched with anticipation, including her handler who was screaming orders through an earpiece. 

Oliver had befriended the men in the office and they allowed him to roam freely as long as he didn't interfere with their work, so when he heard the handler screaming anxiously, he stepped out of the room to see what was happening.

"2 at 8 o'clock!" he yelled."

Oliver peeked over the handler's shoulder and saw Trisha holding two guns and hiding behind a pillar. With one swift movement, she ran out from behind the pillar and shot two clean shots at two gangsters that were aiming at her. 

"I'm out of bullets," she said as she ducked behind a barrel. "I am switching to physical combat. Guide me."

Oliver watched nervously as Trisha kicked and punched her way through what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Of course, she wasn't completely alone, she had some backup, but the way she moved across that warehouse was like an indestructible terminator.

"She's so cool," Oliver whispered under his breath as he watched the woman with admiration. The more he looked at her, the more attractive she became. 

In the end, Trisha and her team successfully arrested Benjamin Yuan and had him apprehended for multiple crimes, including some that Oliver had discovered.

Oliver was ecstatic! 

Following the arrest, Trisha met up with Oliver a few times to write up a story about the dark side of Chinatown. It was the proudest article Oliver had ever written and it helped him establish a name in the industry.

During this time, they became good friends, but deep down, their mutual attraction grew stronger. However, before either of them got the chance to confess, Trisha was transferred back to Hong Kong and the two of them were separated. 

Trisha and Oliver kept in contact over the internet and often thought about each other, but they both thought their feelings were one-sided and did not attempt to take things further; they were good friends and they didn't want to ruin it. Especially since they were on opposite ends of the world and a relationship did not seem feasible.

So, as Trisha looked at herself in the bathroom of the beer hall, she had to remind herself to stay in control. She was just a friend, she had no right to feel jealous. In fact, she should be happy that a beautiful young woman was interested in Oliver.

That way...when she returned to Hong Kong again...she would know that he wasn't lonely...

But...somehow...this thought broke her heart...