บท 224: Chapter 222: Before the Match Begins
"I'm off to work."
In an apartment in the East End, Officer Ryder finished his bread in a few bites, grabbed his cap from the table, and stood up.
"Dad, can I have a pair of roller skates? Tom downstairs has them."
His son, Harry, looked up and said in a crisp voice.
"You're only five. It's too dangerous to play with roller skates. I'll buy you a pair next year."
Officer Ryder said with a slight headache.
"Okay!"
Harry pouted in disappointment, lowered his head, and used a fork to crumble a cookie.
Officer Ryder rubbed his soft hair. "Make a wish. Maybe it will come true at Christmas."
Little Harry blinked his big eyes at him, and seeing him nod, excitedly closed his eyes and whispered to Santa that he wanted a pair of roller skates, preferably blue, like the color of his dad's uniform.
"Ryder, here's a sandwich for you. Take it with you for lunch."
His wife, Jenny, came out of the kitchen wearing an apron, holding a brown paper bag.
"No, no need. They'll provide lunch boxes at the gym."
Officer Ryder waved his hand and put on his cap.
"Take it. The lunch boxes aren't enough. I'm worried you won't be full."
Under Jenny's insistence, Officer Ryder took the paper bag and left the apartment. He got into his police car parked on the side of the street, picked up his colleague Charlie on the next street, and together they drove to the O2 Arena on Greenwich Peninsula.
Today was the WBA/WBC boxing championship match, scheduled for 2:30 PM.
It was only a little after 9 AM, but many people had already gathered around the arena.
There were arena staff who needed to clean the venue before the match.
Security personnel were also using professional equipment to conduct security checks to ensure the smooth running of the match.
Ticket inspectors were sitting at the windows, making preparations.
Staff from several TV stations had also brought broadcasting equipment and entered the venue early to set up.
Besides these people, there were many street vendors selling fruits, drinks, food, and souvenirs.
Officer Ryder had read in the news yesterday that this match was expected to generate at least £100 million in revenue for the surrounding area. Initially, he thought this figure was a bit exaggerated.
But seeing these vendors and the crowded hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, taxis, and buses in the vicinity, he thought the figure might be conservative.
"Charlie, you keep an eye on things here. I'm going to the bathroom."
Officer Ryder tapped on the car window and said to his colleague, who was reading a newspaper in the passenger seat.
"Okay!"
Their job today wasn't too demanding. Mainly, they were to guard the street at the north entrance, maintain order at the entrances and exits, prevent any disturbances, and deter potential pickpockets.
Officer Ryder went into the public restroom on the side of the street and answered his phone. "Louise, I'm on duty on the street. It's not convenient for me to answer the phone. What's the matter?"
"Damn it, Ryder, you haven't come to see me in five days. Have you found another woman? Is it Lucina?"
His lover, Louise, shouted in dissatisfaction. Her voice was a bit rough, and her appearance was average. Her sturdy body resembled a peasant woman, but Ryder liked her type.
"Louise, don't overthink it. The O2 Arena is hosting a boxing championship these days, and we need to work overtime on patrol. I've been busy until midnight every day. I'll come to see you when I'm done."
Officer Ryder explained.
"You better not have another woman. If you dare to mess around, I won't let you off the hook. Also, I saw a beautiful dress at Prada, the same style as Anne Hathaway's. I want to buy it. It costs £600. Bring the money next time you come."
"£600?!"
Officer Ryder couldn't help but rub his forehead.
"Louise, we're just ordinary people. Don't try to imitate those wealthy ladies by wearing Prada. I think those niche brands are also pretty good. There's a clothing supermarket run by Chinese people on York Street. The quality of their clothes is better than luxury brands."
"Ryder, I'm only asking for £600, and you don't have it? Did you give the money to another woman? Damn you, Ryder, when you seduced me, you said you would always love me and spend all the money you earned on me. Now I only want £600, and you're not willing? Fine, if you won't give it to me, I'll go find Edward. That damn bastard keeps staring at my butt. I think he'd be willing to buy me Prada."
"No, my dear Louise, please don't. Edward is an idiot. He doesn't deserve you. Okay, I recently took on a part-time job. I'll bring you the money when I earn it."
After finally appeasing his lover, Officer Ryder breathed a sigh of relief, hung up the phone, and called journalist Bernard Gary to ask if he had any luck yesterday.
He had been busy at the station yesterday and hadn't participated in the stakeout of Link.
Hearing that Gary and Charlotte had gone, he wanted to know if they had captured any photos of Link and Emma on a date.
Gary disappointedly told him no. Link was a coward. Seeing too many paparazzi downstairs, he didn't dare to stay long and left early. They had also wasted a day.
Ryder could hear the disappointment in Gary's voice and encouraged him to keep going.
As long as Link was in London, there was always a chance he would go on a date with Emma. They were both men, and the harder it was to get something, the more they wanted it.
Gary thought he had a point and asked him to keep an eye on the outside of the arena. He would be there later.
After hanging up, Officer Ryder returned to the police car and saw his colleague Charlie counting money, a thick stack of four or five hundred pounds.
"Where did you get the money?"
"Hehe, someone gave me a gift."
Charlie took out £200 and handed it to him, saying it was a share for everyone.
Then Charlie explained that it was a gift from ticket scalper Raymond. Three days ago, when the arena started selling tickets, Raymond had managed to snag over 500 tickets through his channels.
These tickets were divided into five price tiers based on their distance from the ring: £100, £200, £500, £1,000, and £2,000.
The news said that the first batch of over 18,000 tickets released by the arena had sold out in just 21 minutes.
Many people wanted to watch the boxing match live but couldn't get tickets, so they had to buy them from scalpers.
Now, the black market prices had increased by at least 50% from the original prices. The most expensive VIP seats were already over £5,000 and still hard to come by.
"Such a big increase? Raymond can make tens of thousands of pounds this time, right?"
Officer Ryder said in surprise.
"At least £30,000."
Charlie said, wiggling his fingers.
Officer Ryder was a little envious. That was £30,000, equivalent to half a year's salary for him.
The sun gradually rose, and the pearl-shaped dome of the O2 Arena shimmered in the sunlight, like a pearl dropped on the banks of the Rhine.
The pedestrians and vehicles on the surrounding streets also gradually became denser, flowing into the arena from all directions, like rivers converging into the sea.
Officer Ryder and his partner couldn't chat anymore. They put on their sunglasses and stood in the crowded areas, their eyes scanning the surroundings.
Although their gazes were aimless and even a bit unfocused, in the eyes of ordinary people, they looked like they were carrying out a serious task, giving a sense of security.
The first people to enter were mostly ordinary spectators and citizens who had arrived by bus or subway and then walked to the arena.
This group was the largest, numbering in the tens of thousands.
By 1 PM, luxury cars gradually appeared on the streets: Ferraris, Maseratis, Rolls-Royce Silver Spurs, and so on.
Officer Ryder also saw many celebrities in the crowd: Prince Andrew and Harry, who arrived in a McLaren, members of the House of Commons, the chief of the city police, and officials from the sports department.
There were also some celebrities: Keira Knightley, Adele, and several actors from the Harry Potter movies, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.
There were also several sports stars: David and Victoria Beckham, boxing champions Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe, Frank Bruno, Chris Eubank, and so on.
Some celebrities wore baseball caps and large sunglasses, concealing their faces, making it impossible for Officer Ryder to recognize them.
"So many celebrities. Are all these people here to watch the boxing match between Carl and Link?"
His colleague Charlie asked
"Hey, James!" Gary shouted from across the street, snapping a couple of photos of Ryder and Charlie.
"Anything unusual or interesting happening here today?" the reporter called out.
"All's quiet on this front, buddy!"
"Aw, that's a shame," Gary replied with a hint of disappointment. Unlike police officers who prefer peace and order, reporters thrive on chaos. The more chaos, the more news, and the easier it is for them to meet their monthly quotas and earn top dollar.
"But I did see Emma Watson arrive, along with Keira Knightley and Adele. Link is one popular bastard," Officer Ryder remarked, his fingers hooked on his belt.
Gary shook his head. "Too many people here. It won't be easy to keep an eye on them. Oh well, we'll just have to rely on luck. If we can't catch them on a date, then it wasn't meant to be."
Honk! Honk!
A car horn blared from the street as two Mercedes-Benz vans pulled up to the north entrance. Two burly men in black suits and sunglasses stepped out, scanning the surroundings. They were followed by a tall, athletic young man in sportswear. He was in his early twenties, with handsome features, a gentle demeanor, clear blue eyes, and a hint of a smile on his lips. He seemed to be in a good mood.
Officer Ryder and Gary exchanged glances. Link Baker had arrived.
Gary quickly raised his camera and snapped a photo of Link.
Hearing the commotion, Link waved in their direction. "Good afternoon, officers!"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Baker!" Officer Ryder responded, tipping his cap. But in his heart, he thought, If you could just let us get a photo of you and Emma Watson on a date, we'd be in a much better mood.
(End of Chapter)
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