《A Force Love Contract With GANG LEADER》


 Chapter 1: Bad Luck

    December 2nd


    That morning, it was said on TV that it was the coldest day in ten years. This was indeed so. It had snowed since morning, and by noon the snow turned thicker.. The wind, not to be outdone, whistled constantly. People at the bus stop outside the supermarket couldn¡¯t help running inside to get some warmth for a couple of minutes if they reckoned the bus was noting immediately.


    Thanks to the bad weather, there were few serious customers in the supermarket, and the two cashiers were ying games on their phones to kill time. Adele, who was both cashier and staff supervisor, caught sight of the snow at the entrance, tracked in by people from the bus stop.


    Adele called Kate to disassemble a couple of used cartons and put them on the floor of the entrance to avoid melted snow, causing a slippery and stained floor. But she shouted a few times to the back from her cashier stand without receiving a response from Kate.


    Adele had to ask another coworker to cover for her as she walked back inside to the shelves. Kate was standing between two rows of shelves, meditating. She heard footsteps and turned to Adele:


    ¡°Adele, my eyelids keep twitching all the time.¡±


    ¡°Left or right?¡±


    Kate, clearly distressed, took a second to figure out left from right and pointed: ¡°Right one.¡±


    Adele was speechless at her state and replied carelessly, ¡°Bad luck. My grandma said it left for fortune and right for misery.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Kate opened her eyes wide.


    Adeleughed at her, being so easily shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t take it seriously. My uncle said it left for career and right for romance. Don¡¯t be superstitious. It will probably go away soon.¡± And then Adele instructed Kate to put the ttened cartons on the floor with adhesive tapes. ¡°Make sure the floor is dry. Otherwise, if some elderly person slips and breaks his bones, he will sue us.¡±


    Kate nodded and ran to carry out Adele¡¯s instructions.


    After she finished, Kate came back to continue arranging items on the shelves and checking stock, a tedious job. They used to have three employees. One of the other two was the boss¡¯s niece, and the other one was the nephew of the boss¡¯s wife. To make things worse, these two fell in love and spent most of their time whispering and giggling together, leaving Kate to work alone.


    She didn¡¯t want toin because it was not easy to keep a stable job. She got paid on time every month in this stagnant economic situation. Besides, she preferred to deal with merchandise rather than people. Whenever customers asked her where a certain product was, she could always give the precise location. This made her feel good. So even though Kate was busy as a bee every day, she enjoyed the job.


    But today, she was a little absent-minded.


    Kate took her cell phone out of her pocket from time to time. She was expecting a call, a very important one. The way her eyelids had been twitching since this morning gave her a bad feeling.


    Kate hadn¡¯t felt like herself for the whole day. She didn¡¯t even notice when someone was walking too close to her. The person patted her on the shoulder, but she was too scared to scream out. When she turned back, that person screamed out too. It was a hoarse, male voice, and she saw a tall, skinny boy with thick eyebrows, sticking his tongue out at her.


    The big boy remonstrated her for scaring him by pointing at one of her eyes, ¡°What the hell is going on with you? That is spooky.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Kate raised her hand to touch her eye and found a small piece of paper. She thought of her practice this morning when she had torn a small piece of tissue paper to cover her flickering eyelid. She thought there were not many customers today and that nobody would see it.


    The boy with the thick eyebrows leaned on the shelf with folded arms and smiling, said, ¡°You must be exhausted without us.¡±


    ¡°It will be Sarah¡¯s birthday in two days. You shoulde to the party.¡± Sarah was the boss¡¯s niece. The boy with the thick eyebrows is John, nephew of the boss¡¯s wife.


    Kate said OK and started stocking the shelves with milk.


    John took the milk from her hands and said, ¡°You leave early today. I will do it.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡± Kate wiped her hand on her apron and left.


    ¡°Hey! Leaving now? Not even a thank you?¡± John shouted at her back.


    Kate replied without turning back, ¡°Isn¡¯t that your job?¡±


    ¡°OK, OK. Get out of here!¡± John waved his hand as if swatting away a fly. The other girls at the cashier counterughed.


    Kate was anxious to get back. Her cell phone was going to die because she didn¡¯t have the charger with her.


    The snow had almost stopped, but the wind from the coast did not subside one bit and drilled through her coat like needles.


    When Kate got down to the bus, it was pitch ck. She had to walk through a long alley from the bus stop to the house she shared with her roommate. There was a hotdog stand at the entrance of the alley, and Kate realized her stomach was protesting when she smelled the yummy food. She bought one and took it in her hand. The warmth of the hotdog was transmitted to her palm through the paper bag, and she had a feeling of satisfaction.


    The streetlights inside the alley were broken, and it waspletely dark. Kate was anxious to get home and did not notice a car following her at a distance.

 Chapter 2: Tell Us, Where Is It?

    The car was a dark color, and its headlights were not on. It hid in the dark night like an animal lurking. When Kate got to the middle of the alley, the car sped up suddenly, and she heard the sound of the engine.


    She moved aside to avoid it. But the car passed her, turned 180 degrees, and blocked the road. The headlights were suddenly on, and she had to raise her hand to cover her eyes.


    Kate frowned and opened her eyes a little. A dazzling white light came to her eyes. She took a few seconds to adapt to it and found it was a huge crystal chandelier hanging from a very high ceiling. The shining crystal beads of the chandelier reflected light to the walls of an extremely big room. Everything looked surreal.


    And the next second, Kate realized that she was curled up and lying on her side on the floor. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her ankles were also bound with rope. She recalled thest scene she could remember and saw the light¡­ She was taken aback. She had been¡­kidnapped!


    ¡°Awake?¡± A male voice asked from behind her.


    She felt her body was still feeble, and it seemed that some smell was still lingering in her nose. She turned backbouredly and saw a couch with two young men sitting on it.


    These men stood up simultaneously and walked towards her. She could see the outline of their muscles under their clothes. They reminded her of dangerous animals. She was scared and struggled to sit up.


    The man with pale skin and curly hair bent down and lifted her chin with two of his fingers, spoke with a flighty tone, ¡°Tell us. Where is it?¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but she showed nothing on her face and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    The man gave a snort of contempt. ¡°Stop ying dumb with me. You know what it is.¡± And then he bit his lips and squeezed out the word ¡°the disc.¡±


    It felt awful being stared at so intently, and Kate shifted her eyes away. ¡°I don¡¯t have any disc.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    The man gave her an angry re and said, ¡°Ha. Keeping your mouth shut? You will not say it?¡± Before he finished his sentence, a white light shed over Kate¡¯s face, and magically, he had a dagger in his hand. The thin de gave out an icy air under the light. And in the next second, the dagger point reached Kate¡¯s cheek.


    The manughed insidiously. ¡°You got a pretty face, chick, but it is a little dull. You want me to add some scars here to make it more interesting? Here? Or here?¡±


    The dagger moved across the surface of her face, and if he wasn¡¯t careful or experienced enough, her face would be ruined. Kate¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t focused on the dagger. She recalled a scene five days ago.


    Caroline, Kate¡¯s friend from home, whom she had not seen for a long time, came to see her and dragged her to a ce out of the way and slipped her an envelope. Caroline instructed Kate with a mysterious expression that if she did not receive her call in a week, to mail the envelope. Whatever was inside the envelope felt hard and round.


    Seeing this made no difference, the man with darker skin and a buzz cut frowned and yelled, ¡°Stop wasting time.¡± And he roared to Kate in the suppressed voice, ¡°You will end up like your friend if you don¡¯t say it.¡±


    At these words, Kate blurted out, ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    The man was going to open his mouth but instead coughed and put away his dagger. His voice changed into a gentle and coaxing tone: ¡°Little sister, don¡¯t be silly. You give me the disc, and I will let you go immediately, plus you¡¯ll make a fortune.¡±


    Magically, his hand, which had held a dagger just a few seconds ago, was now waving a big stack of money in her face. ¡°See. This is all yours if you give us the disc.¡± And then he added, ¡°My pal won¡¯t be as nice. He might strip you.¡±


    Seeing the fright in her eyes, this man with the curly hair was satisfied with the effect of his words and continued. ¡°He hasn¡¯t touched a woman for months. He has severe chemical imbnces and is as hungry as a bear.¡±


    He was still smiling when he spoke, but his eyes suddenly turned ruthless as he saw no further reaction from Kate. He grabbed her sweater cor and pulled her towards him. Kate¡¯s neck and corbones were exposed, and he couldn¡¯t help giving them a stroke. ¡°Wow, nice skin. You feel good.¡±


    Kate shivered and struggled violently and screamed, ¡°Let me go! You bastards! I know nothing!¡±


    Her fighting irritated him, and Curly-hair pressed her down against the floor, but she hit him in the ribs with her knee. Skinny as she was, she did some damage. Curly-hair called his pal for help without turning back, ¡°Come to help me hold her down.¡±


    The man with a buzz cut hesitated a little, then squatted and used one of his knees to press her tied legs against the floor.


    Kate¡¯s coat was unzipped, and her sweater was lifted up. Her pinkced bra was exposed. The two masculine young men were surprised to find the skinny and malnourished girl had an hourss figure under her clothes. Curly-hair made gestures to unbutton her pants as he gave the ultimatum: ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, don¡¯t me us for taking no mercy on you.¡±


    ¡°Help! Let me go!¡± Her face was like a fish on the cutting board. She was doomed and had nowhere to escape, but she still cried for help grievously and didn¡¯t give in.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Another deep male voice said suddenly.

 Chapter 3: Lock Her Up

    Kate didn¡¯t expect her cries for help would reach anyone, and she was surprised to hear somebody respond. She was still not sure if it was real or a dream.


    The two men responded quickly. They released her and stood up immediately and called with respect to the direction of the door, ¡°Boss.¡±


    Curly-hair asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the resort center? Why did youe back so soon?¡±


    Kate turned back to see a cold-eyed big man with a dark coat standing at the door looking expressionlessly at them.


    Curly-hair exined hastily, ¡°This chick mped up and wouldn¡¯t tell us anything. So we had to give her some motivation.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°By stripping her?¡± the man ridiculed. ¡°If I came a littleter, might I have interrupted your intimacy?¡±


    The two men wanted to exin again but seeing his face, they hushed up.


    The man strode to her and looked down at Kate on the floor. She had half-opened clothes, and her shoulders were still twitching while she sobbed. Her messy bangs covered half of her face, the hair on the floor was wet, and her chin was dripping with an unknown liquid, probably a mixture of tears and snot.


    He frowned and reprimanded his men. ¡°How could you treat ady so rudely?¡±


    And before he heard the response, he added, ¡°Go fetch a basin of water.¡±


    The two men looked at each other and couldn¡¯t figure out what their boss was thinking. Would the boss clean up for the girl? One of them asked: ¡°Cold or warm water?¡±


    Their boss gave them an angry stare, and they shut their mouths and ran out to get the water.


    The man took off his ck suede gloves slowly and walked toward Kate¡¯s back. He squatted down and pulled her tied hands. Kate stayed still in terror. She struggled to hear what he said: ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The binding method was professional, and he patiently unbound the loops of rope. Her slender wrists bled because of the abrasions from the rope during her struggles. The man¡¯s eyes lingered a little on them and then turned to untie her feet. Without getting her response to his question, he lifted her chin with two fingers and said, ¡°Not hearing my question?¡±


    Kate caught sight of his sharp eyes and was frightened. She curled her lips and said, ¡°Ka¡­Kate.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes became milder as he threw the rope to the floor. He kept the same pose and tried to talk casually, ¡°Kate. This is the case. Your friend took some important information from us and wanted to ckmail us.¡± He twisted the corner of his mouth when he came to this. ¡°I hate being ckmailed.¡±


    ¡°I will ask you onest time. Where is the disc?¡±


    ¡°Water is here.¡± The two men carried a big basin of water and put it down on the floor. The water was still rippling inside the basin. Except for the boss, everyone was wondering what the purpose of the water was.


    Kate was thinking of the words the man said, and her brain was racing. She thought of what Caroline had told her, ¡°You have to keep it safe. Do not tell anybody about it.¡± She pressed her lips tightly together. Perhaps her motion had irritated the boss, she felt the back of her skull was pulled tightly, and her whole face was pressed down into the water.


    This happened without warning.


    The other two men were also struck dumb. They didn¡¯t expect their boss to take this step directly. Kate wasn¡¯t prepared for it. She choked and tried to struggle, but her back was pressed tightly by the boss¡¯s knee. Her limbs were spread limply on the floor uselessly.


    When her mouth and nose were filled with water, and she was going to suffocate, she was lifted by her hair out of the water.


    ¡°Still won¡¯t say it?¡± The voice was as cold as a demon from hell.


    Kate kept coughing violently and seemed not to hear what he said.


    With another ssh, she was pressed into the water again before she stopped coughing.


    This continued until she forgot how long she had been here, and the time between sshes felt longer and longer.


    She felt a bitter taste in her mouth and coughed, not knowing if it was tears or bile. And in the end, Kate could only see two thin lips open and close silently. Her brain stopped functioning, and she was not able to receive or give anymand.


    The man stared at her for a while and suddenly released his mping grip on her head. He instructed the other two, ¡°Lock her up.¡±


    What followed was asting and strange torment.


    Kate was thrown into a narrow and pitched dark room. The room was small enough to fit one person. Its width was less than her height. She had to remain curled up all the time and was constantly reminded of the legendary ¡°matchbox cell.¡±


    Because of swallowing too much water, her lungs felt like they had exploded, her ears were pricking, and her head was aching. Her clothes were soaked in the front, and she felt seized by coldness from time to time. She shivered in coldness, hunger, and terror. She had to close her eyes and start to count as if she was ying cat and mouse when she was a kid.

 Chapter 4: Will You Call The Police?

    Kate had an older sister. Her mother had wanted a boy. And when she was born, her mother was disappointed. The next year she had a sister. Both her parents were upset, and the three girls were also a heavy burden on the family.


    When Kate was four years old, her mother got pregnant again, and they finally had a brother.


    When her brother was three years old, Kate¡¯s younger sister took him out to y by the river. Her brother fell into the river by ident, and her younger sister was scared to death and kept crying. Kate happened to find them. Her first reaction was that her brother was the most important person in their family, and he could not die. She jumped into the river without thinking.


    Kate didn¡¯t remember how she got back to the riverbank. She only remembered the freezing water with thin ice floating on the surface. It was so cold, and her body felt lifeless.


    When she woke up, the first thing she saw was her grandma¡¯s happy face. She told her that she had had a fever for three days and nights.


    Her mother brought her ginger tea, saying that it could expel the coldness inside her. She hated ginger, but she drank it obediently, and her body warmed up.


    Her mother was sitting by her bed and pushed her wet hair back and said, ¡°Thank you, Kate. Thank you for saving your brother.¡± Her parents rarely expressed their feelings, and these were the warmest words they had ever said to her.


    She shook her head, and her tears came out.


    Her mother asked again, ¡°Where is it?¡±


    Ah? Kate raised her head in puzzlement.


    Her mother¡¯s loving face was fading away. She asked harshly, ¡°The disc. Where is the disc Caroline gave you?¡±


    She muttered, ¡°What is the disc?¡±


    ¡°Still ying dumb?¡± Bang! She was pped in the face.


    She looked at her mother, who had never been so fierce and malicious.


    Kate woke up because of hunger.


    When she woke up, the day had broken. This time she was lying on a huge bed withplicated and exquisite designs on the head. She was covered with afy and soft quilt. The room wasrge with simple but elegant decorations¡ªlight-colored drapes and French windows, with a beige background and vague gold-patterned wallpaper. On one side of the wall, there was a full-length wardrobe that reached to the ceiling. And on the floor, there was a snow-white long-fur carpet.


    Kate scanned the room nkly, and her memory came back to her slowly. She felt scared and disoriented. What was the situation now? Her first thought was to get away from here as soon as possible.


    Right now. Immediately.


    When Kate raised her hands, she saw they were bandaged. She was a little startled. She lifted up the quilt, and her chest hurt because of the movement of her arms. All her limbs were sore. She disregarded all these sensations. Fortunately, when she looked down, she was still wearing her sweater and jeans. Her coat was neatly folded on a chair nearby.


    As she was going to get down from the bed, she heard footsteps from behind the door. She paused and got back on the bed,id down under the quilt, and closed her eyes.


    The door opened, and somebody walked in. He seemed to stop for a moment at the door and then approached. Kate¡¯s heart was beating fast. The person stood by the bed for a while and sneered, ¡°Get up if you are awake. Still acting?¡±


    Kate had to open her eyes and see Curly-hair from yesterday, looking at her with a faint smile. The nightmare from yesterday came back to her. She couldn¡¯t help withdrawing back to the quilt.


    Curly-hair ignored her reaction and waved to the door, ¡°Come in here.¡±


    A middle-aged woman came in with a big tray. Kate¡¯s stomach was empty, and her nose was sensitive to the smell of food. She smelled fried meat, onions, and spices.


    The woman put a small copsible table on the bed and put the tray on it. She said respectfully, ¡°Miss, please eat while it is warm.¡±


    Kate stared at her without moving. Curly-hair got impatient and urged, ¡°Quick! Eat it because we have something else to do.¡±


    She took the cup of chicken soup and gulped it down eagerly.


    She was pondering inside while eating. Why were they suddenly treating her so nicely? Did she tell them somethingst time when she was not herself? Or would they continue to torture her after she ate?Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She was so hungry that she swallowed the meat quickly without chewing. She coughed, and her lungs were pulled and hurt like hell. Curly-head frowned and said, ¡°Slower. Nobody will be responsible if you die of choking. I will wait for you downstairs.¡± He waved his hand in annoyance and left.


    Kate wondered what was waiting for her. Was the man who tried to drown her downstairs too? Her head tingled when she thought of him. But there was no way out for her. Why not enjoy the food first and deal with itter?


    She had been prepared for more torture when she got downstairs, but she found Curly-hair and Buzz-cut sitting on the couch watching TV. They looked rxed and turned off the TV as soon as they saw her. Curly-head picked up the car key on the coffee table and signaled her to follow them.


    When they went outside, Kate saw she had been in a three-story house. Tworge dogs with long fur growled at them from the porch. They jumped up when they saw her and barked, shing their scary shining white teeth. Curly-head gave them a shout, and they strolled away.


    Kate was d that she didn¡¯t try to escape from the window earlier; otherwise, the two big beasts could have torn her into pieces.


    A shining dark sedan, parked at the door, looked familiar. It could have been the same one that kidnapped her.


    Buzz-cut took the driver seat, and Curly-hair opened the back door and shoved Kate in. The car started, and Curly-hair took out a bag and covered her eyes. He did say ¡°Sorry¡± when he did it but didn¡¯t show any sign of feeling sorry.


    The car drove fast, and Kate sat still with her back on the chair. She was worried and scared about where they would take her to, but she made no sound. The two of them didn¡¯t speak either.


    They rode in silence for about two hours until the car slowed down and stopped. Curly-hair took the bag off her head, and Kate adjusted her eyes to the light. She looked out of the window and identified that this was the alley where she was kidnapped.


    Curly-hair drew a cigarette and lit it. He had one drag and exhaled it. And then he asked, ¡°Will you call the police?¡±

 Chapter 5: Sent Back Home

    Kate was surprised, but she shook her head immediately.


    ¡°OK. Smart.¡± Curly-head snorted.


    He took another deep drag and threw his cigarette out of the window. And then he pointed at her with his forefinger and threatened her, ¡°That thing since you said you didn¡¯t have it, you¡¯d better never take it out. Otherwise, you will end up like your friend¡­¡± He made a gesture of pointing a gun at her temple with his hand and pulling the trigger, ¡°Bang!¡±


    Kate shrank to the back of her seat but could not help asking, ¡°She¡­did you¡­really kill her?¡±


    Curly-head changed his face and said impatiently, ¡°Better not to know too much.¡±


    He pulled something from the front seat and threw it to her. She looked down. It was her shoulder bag.


    ¡°Get out.¡± After Curly-hair scrutinized her for a few more seconds, he released her.


    Kate felt excited and pushed the door open. She jumped out hastily for fear they might reconsider. She walked fast at first, but as she got further away from the car, she simply ran.


    The car didn¡¯t drive away but stayed there until she lost sight of it at the corner. Curly-head went to sit in the front and took out his cell phone and called to report. ¡°Boss. She has been sent back.¡±


    ¡°OK. Did you make the arrangement?¡±


    ¡°All set. We took extreme caution this time.¡±


    The call ended. Buzz-cut started the car, and Curly-head took out the pack of cigarettes and gave one to him, helping him light it. And he lit one for himself, cursing, ¡°Shit. Bad luck. What a moron.¡±


    They had worked all night, and even hypnosis had been used. The girl had talked, but none of it was useful. They prick their ears up for a long time.


    And finally, their boss concluded that these tricks only worked on normal people, but this one has a problem here: the boss pointed at his head.


    That was to say, they had to y the game differently.


    Kate ran up to the third floor in one breath. She took out her key and opened the door with trembling hands. She sat down on the floor as soon as she got into her room. Her roommate was not there during the day. The small room looked empty and spacious.


    She sat there for quite a while, and when she got up to her feet, she felt a darknesse over her eyes and difort all over her body. It felt like she was drowning. When she wiped her forehead, it was wet.


    Kate managed to walk to her bed, found some cold medicine, and swallowed it down with cold water. And then sheid down on her bed. The medicine took effect, and she soon felt herself slipping into sleep.


    She slept deeply and only woke up once in the middle of the night. Her roommate was back. It was soothing to see a familiar face, and she closed her eyes again.


    Kate heard her roommate saying something and wanted to get up, but her body was rooted in the bed. Her throat was dry and burned so much that she could not speak a word.


    Atst, Kate¡¯s roommate woke her up. She was from Ohio. Kate said she had a fever and kept raving. Her roommate helped her take some antipyretics, and then Kate went back to sleep.


    The next time she woke up, it was early in the morning. This time her cell phone rang for a long time. She put it to her ear and covered her head for fear of disturbing her roommate. She saw the number was her elder sister. Her sister cried on the phone, ¡°Kate,e back home. Father is in the hospital.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    She was shocked. ¡°Father? What is the matter with him?¡±


    Her sister sobbed, ¡°Some fatal disease.¡±


    When Kate got outside, the sky was still gray. The city had not yet fully awakened. She took the bus to the supermarket, got something she put there, and headed to the railway station.


    John caught her at the lounge of the railway station and gave her a bulging envelope with three thousand dors. He said, scratching his head, ¡°Not much, but it might help. Don¡¯t be anxious to return it to me.¡± Kate was so moved that she couldn¡¯t say anything. John patted her on the shoulder and said, ¡°No need to say anything. We are friends.¡±

 Chapter 6: Fancy Meeting You Again

    The train finally reached Pornd. The city had just had heavy snow. Workers were cleaning the city with snow removal trucks and spreading salt in the middle of the roads, which were noisy and jammed. The melted snow and salt made the road dirty.


    The temperature was -13 degrees Fahrenheit, and all of Kate¡¯s limbs were numb by the time she got to the hospital. She wasn¡¯t aware of the cold because her heart was eaten by her deep worry. Pornd Mercy Hospital, 13th floor.


    She finally saw her father, lying on a bed with pipes connected to his body. She had not seen him for a year, and he looked totally different. His face was dry and gray, his cheekbones protruded, and his skin stretched over the bones like a tent. Her tears gushed out immediately.


    Her father became skinny in the past year, and he had stomach aches from time to time. He didn¡¯t take it seriously and bought some medicine at the drugstore to kill the pain. It was not until a few days ago, when he coughed up blood, that he went to the hospital for a checkup.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    The doctor informed him that he was in the middle stages of stomach cancer and rmended him to get to Pornd Mercy Hospital. Her father was not insured, and they ran out of the five thousand dors they brought with them quickly. The doctor told them that surgery and after-treatment would cost about $100, 000. It was an astronomical figure for a family like them.


    Her father wanted to go back home and save the money so that his son could go to college. Kate¡¯s mother and elder sister, of course, did not agree with this. Her elder sister had asked her husband to try to borrow some money from his parents, but it was not going smoothly. Kate¡¯s younger sister was in college, and her little brother was in high school. They didn¡¯t know about their father¡¯s illness yet.


    Kate sat by the bed and listened to her mother, telling her about her father¡¯s condition. She drank a mug of hot water and warmed up. She said, ¡°Father cannot leave the hospital now. I have three thousand dors here. We can hold on for a few more days with this. And we will think about what to do next.¡±


    It was not easy to think of any solutions; Kate knew that this would take some thinking.


    Without insurance, staying in the hospital was like burning money. Kate¡¯s three thousandsted only three more days before the hospital started to urge them to pay the bills. Her mother and two sisters were anxious and sad, but they had to conceal their feelings in front of their father.


    When Kate sat on a bench downstairs in the inpatient building, she stared nkly at the bank outside the hospital gate. She imagined herself wearing a mask and rushing into the bank for a robbery. A shadow blocked the sun, and a t voice asked from above, ¡°Kate?¡±


    She looked up and was surprised to see a middle-aged man with sunsses and a dark coat, showing a mild smile on his face, ¡°Our boss wants to see you.¡±


    She was startled and wanted to stand up. Sheposed herself and said, ¡°Your boss? Do I know him?¡±


    The man chuckled and said, ¡°Our boss is Mr. Fox.¡± He paused and then added, ¡°You saw him a few days ago.¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart was seized. She had fallen into the icy river again.


    Kate followed the man mechanically, about one step behind him. The man looked amiable and chatted with her, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel cold? Pornd is quite different from Los Angeles. Probably negative 20 F degrees?¡± As he mentioned the temperature, he shrank his neck into his cor.


    The man led her to a fancy coffee shop. When they entered the shop, she saw Curly-hair immediately. He raised the corners of his eyebrows and said, ¡°Fancy meeting you again.¡±


    And then she saw that man.


    He sat at a table by the window, wearing a dark sweater and a shirt under it. He looked handsome and refined, which she knew was but a disguise.


    The room was warm, probably 70 degrees higher than outdoors. Not knowing if it was because of the abrupt temperature change or her anxiety, Kate sneezed suddenly.


    The man smirked and pointed to the seat opposite him  and said mildly, ¡°Sit down, please.¡±


    Kate walked over and sat down.


    There were four chairs, but the other two men just stood respectfully. It looked strange, but they behaved naturally. They kept silent and seemed to melt into the background. In the center of the table, there was a small vase with a perfume lily. The tender and broad pink petals spread at ease, not feeling the cold from outside at all.


    Out of the tinted window, Kate saw the hospital building in the distance. Theyers of drapes separated this world from the outside. She felt a little difort in this confined space. The table between her and the man could not block the domineering air she felt from him. She didn¡¯t dare to look his way, but she still could feel he was looking at her.


    She didn¡¯t know what his intentions were. He was probably trying to put some pressure on her. His silent stare made her nervous, and she pretended to look away. When she looked back, she met his gaze identally. They were clear and deep, like a vortex that could suck a person into it.

 Chapter 7: How Is Your Father?

    To release Kate¡¯s anxiety, the man smiled and poured a cup of tea for her and started chatting as if they were friends, ¡°How is your father?¡±


    Kate felt her heart being stabbed by a needle. She answered awkwardly, ¡°Just like that.¡±


    The man put the cup of tea in front of her. Kate was startled by this ordinary behavior.


    He poured a cup for himself and took a sip. ¡°Nice. Have the hot tea. It can help you warm up.¡±


    Kate wondered what he was ying at. She was on the verge of saying, ¡°Stop beating around the bush.¡± But instead, she took up the cup and had a drink. She was nervous and drank too fast. The tea was too hot, and she almost wanted to spit it out.


    The man waited until she put down her cup and put his cup down too. He said, ¡°Miss White, how about we make a deal.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    As he just said these words, the middle-aged man moved forward and put a bank card in front of Kate on the table.


    ¡°There are two hundred thousand dors on this card. It is for your father¡¯s surgery. Don¡¯t dy this anymore.¡±


    Kate¡¯s eyes fell on the card about a foot away from her. She heard the sound of her saliva moving in her throat, and the next second she heard the man, with power in his voice, ¡°You know what I want.¡±


    She blurted out, ¡°No.¡±


    Realizing her reaction was negative, she added hastily, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want. I have things to attend to. I need to go.¡±


    When she stood up, she made some noise pushing the chair back. Curly-hair was about to stop her, but his boss said calmly, ¡°Let her go.¡±


    Curly-hair turned to his partner and pursed his lips in the direction of their boss. Curly hair¡¯s partner looked back at the boss, taking up his cup of tea with ease. It was as if he knew it was in the bag.


    As Kate hurried back to the hospital, she ordered herself to wave away the idea, not allowing herself a chance for hesitation. She walked faster and faster, and when she got back to the ward, her back felt moist.


    It was noisy in the room. A few hospital staff members were there, and her mother and sister were arguing with them about something. Her mother pleaded with them, insisting that they could get the money soon and pay the hospital.


    But the male hospital staff said, ¡°You can check in when you have the money ready. You know a lot of patients are waiting for a bed out there. Besides, we cannot treat him if you cannot even pay the money you owe to the hospital. There is nothing to be discussed. He has to get out of here today. This is not an asylum.¡±


    Kate¡¯s usually mild-tempered sister got angry too, ¡°How can you speak to her like that?¡±


    Her father struggled on the bed and intended to lift the quilt and get down underneath it. He coughed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave this goddamn ce. I want to die at home.¡±


    The sound of her mother pacifying her father, her father¡¯s coughing, the hospital staff exchanging words, all mixed together and turned into a, wrapping and trapping Kate and making her feel suffocated. In confusion, she could only see the bankcard in her brain¡­two hundred thousand dors.


    With two hundred thousand dors, her father could have the surgery immediately.


    Without the two hundred thousand dors¡­


    After a short stalemate, her mother epted the fate they had to face and started to pack up their things. Her sister had called her husband, and they fought over the phone, and now she was sobbing. It looked as if theirst hope was broken.


    Kate had never had such a hard conflict inside her. She looked at her luggage at the corner of the room. It was something that did not belong to her. Besides, somebody¡¯s life might be at risk.


    A phone rang. The male hospital staff, coldly monitoring them, answered the phone. After a few ¡°well¡± and ¡°ah,¡± he changed his face and said awkwardly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to go today.¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡± The whole family stared at him in surprise.


    He waved his hand and said shortly, ¡°Somebody paid your bills.¡± And he added, ¡°But you have to try to get the money ready for surgery. The resources of this hospital are tight. You have to know that.¡±


    He jerked his head to the other staff, and they left together.

 Chapter 8: She Broke The Rules

    The windfall made Kate¡¯s mother and sister both ecstatic. They hurried to get her father back to bed. Kate ran out to catch up with the hospital staff. ¡°Please, tell me who paid the bills for us?¡±


    The hospital staff turned crossly, ¡°A big guy called Mr. Fox. He talked to our hospital president. Since you knew such a powerful person, what were you doing earlier? It is a waste of my time.¡± And he left angrily.


    Her suspicion was confirmed. She leaned on the wallnguidly.


    What did this mean? Had he forced her to ept the trade?Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    While she was leaning on the wall weakly, and enduring the fight inside her heart, the phone in her pocket rang all of a sudden. Kate shook so hard that a nurse passed by and gave her a strange look.


    She took out the cell phone and saw an unfamiliar number. This time she didn¡¯t hesitate but epted the call immediately. The mild male voice asked, ¡°Miss White, have you thought it over?¡±


    Tears emerged from her eyes, and she heard herself said in a dry voice, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Back at the caf¨¦, Curly-hair and the middle-aged man were still standing. And the boss was standing by the window making a call. He turned his back to the door and put his other hand in his pocket. On the table, there was a notebookputer.


    When Kate entered the door, she stopped. Curly-hair walked over and asked her for the thing, but she ignored him even though he was obviously cross. The man turned back only after he finished his call, and he looked at her lightly. She walked up and put the envelope on the table. Curly-hair took it and examined it by the light from the window.


    The man didn¡¯t give a second look at it. Instead, he asked, ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    Kate shook her head.


    He handed her the card and said calmly, ¡°The password is thest six numbers of your social security number. And the other fifty thousand ispensation for the offense we caused you a few days ago.¡±


    Kate took the card and held it tightly in her palm. The sharp edge poked her soft skin, but she didn¡¯t feel pain.


    Curly-hair passed the envelope to his boss and nodded to him. The man went back to his seat, looked at the receiving address and sender on it, and made a hardly audible snort.


    Kate heard it and looked up at him.


    He tore the envelope neatly and put the disc into his notebookputer. She observed his cold and sharp profile and his curved lips. That might be ironic orcent. While waiting for the document to be read by theputer, he tapped his fingers on the table, and the ring on one of his fingers gave some icy re under the sunlight.


    Kate looked down to the tile below her feet and waited.


    After a few minutes, the man finished browsing the contents of the disc and walked up to Kate, still carrying the cold and calm air, ¡°That is it for us. As soon as you walk out of this door, everything you hear and see in here¡­¡± he pointed to her head, ¡°has to be deletedpletely.¡±


    Kate nodded. The man could not see her face and seemed to think that was an obstacle to theirmunication. He lifted her chin and forced her to look into his eyes and then felt satisfied. ¡°Don¡¯t y a game with me. Don¡¯t get yourself and your family into any more trouble.¡±


    He stressed the word family and pronounced it especially distinctly.


    Kate looked into his deep-set eyes and felt a little dizzy, but she replied affirmatively, ¡°I know.¡±


    The man scanned her face again as if to identify if she was telling the truth, and then he released her, ¡°You can go now.¡±


    Kate turned, pushed the door open, and walked out without hesitation.


    As soon as the door was closed, Curly-hair asked, ¡°Boss, you really want to let her go?¡±


    The man leaned back to the chair and lifted up his cup of tea while looking at the pink perfume lily. He seemed to not be hearing Curly-hair¡¯s question and muttered, ¡°They should change this lily to a white one.¡± As he took a sip of the tea, he turned to them, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Curly-hair was startled. What did he think about it? A pink or a white lily? He replied in the next second with coldness in his tone, ¡°I think only dead people are reliable.¡±


    The man raised his eyes and gave him a stare, ¡°Is it funny to kill?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Curly-hair paused. ¡°Of course not.¡±


    The man took another sip and said slowly, ¡°Remember, we are here to solve the problem, not to make another problem. Or else I will have to spend all my time following you and cleaning up the mess for you. How can I do anything else?¡±


    Curly-hair was ashamed by his words, and he said respectfully, ¡°I will keep an eye on her. If she oversteps the boundary, I will¡­¡± He made a cutting gesture on his neck.


    The man seemed to not hear him. He poured another cup of tea for himself as if he was now enjoying the tea only.


    Kate had the card in her pocket, but her heart did not feel relieved for solving the problem of funds. Instead, she felt heavier than before. Her heart was empty as if she had had something inside of it removed. An important organ of her body was gone.


    She put her hand on her chest. It felt hard.


    Kate walked to the hospital with heavy steps. She paused for a second when she stepped across the gate of the hospital. She walked to a remote ce, ane between two buildings. Nobody walked by there. The snow was about five inches thick, clear and crystal, white and pure. She squatted down and looked at the snow. It was so white it made her feel ashamed.


    She inserted her fingers into the soft snow and couldn¡¯t feel the coldness. She wished she could wash away the dirt on her hands. After a long time, she felt the piercing wind blowing through her coat, and her nose became sore. Tears came to her eyes as she put her hands on her face and cried out.


    She remembered when she was a child; she yed cat and mouse with her friends. In the middle of the game, the TV had some show, and her friends ran back to watch. She kept hiding in her neighbor¡¯s garden. At first, she was happy nobody found her but soon she felt something was wrong.


    However, she stayed there unmoved because that was the rule. She fell asleep until her parents came to find her. They beat her up.


    Another time, her mother had asked her to send something to her aunt. She went to the house, but her aunt was out, and the door was locked. She waited there all day until the next morning.


    Her parents thought she was stupid and wondered if her brain had been damaged from the time she almost drowned while saving her brother from the river.


    She always followed the rules, never crossed the lines. It had be a habit. But now, she broke the rules.

 Chapter 9: Is She Crazy?

    Curly hair¡¯s given name was Edward, but he didn¡¯t like it. So he called himself Ed. He drove the car steadily on the road and listened to his earphones at the same time. He felt puzzled at the sound, and he took the earphones off and handed it to old Chapman, who sat on the seat beside him, ¡°You listen to it.¡±


    Chapman was not happy with it, but after he listened, he was shocked.


    The two looked at each other speechlessly. Ed said casually, ¡°Her father died?¡±


    Chapman pressed his lips in a line and shook his head.


    Tristan Fox, who was sitting at the back and closing his eyes, asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    The two didn¡¯t know how to exin, so Chapman took off the earphone and asked, ¡°You heard it yourself?¡±


    Tristan took the earphone and put it on suspiciously. He didn¡¯t react much to it. He just raised his eyebrows and turned to look out of the window. The car happened to pass the side gate of the hospital, and at the narrowne between the two buildings, a person was squatting on the snow. She was in blue and looked familiar.


    Chapman reacted first and said, ¡°That is her, Kate.¡±


    Ed saw her too and was about to speak but was hushed by Chapman.


    Tristan listened expressionlessly, but his heart was a little shocked. Kate was crying so hard, choking and blowing her nose. From a distance, you could see her jerking, and it looked like she might fall onto the snow at any time.


    The scene of Kate shedding tears silently shed into his brain. She didn¡¯t give in or scream. She was so calm that he thought she was abnormal or stupid. It was only because he didn¡¯t touch her bottom line.


    Curly-hair murmured in the front, ¡°Is she crazy?¡±


    He heard himself reply in a voice only he could hear, ¡°Because she betrayed herself.¡±


    The feeling was familiar to him.


    He seemed to see anky teenager, angry but helpless, walked in a lonely street at midnight, kicking a tree trunk on the roadside and bumped the trunk with his head¡­And that teenager said from now on, you had to be a bad guy.


    It was a long time ago, and he was no longer weak or helpless. He had honed himself to be ruthless and cold. He drew back his eyes from the blue figure and said indifferently, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The money for the surgery was paid. Everything proceeded smoothly.


    For the source of the money, Kate exined that she borrowed from her boss and colleagues. She was known to be honest, and her family didn¡¯t suspect anything. They were happy for the help from the kind people she mentioned.


    The surgery was sessful, and so were the after-treatments. Just before Christmas Eve, her father was dismissed from the hospital. They had a quiet Christmas and were grateful that the whole family could be together for the New Year. Nobody could know better than this family the meaning of Christmas.


    Their happiness, indeed, was something her neighbor two houses away could never expect. Of course, they were not aware of it. They just worried that Caroline was wilder now. Not even a phone call.


    Nobody knew where she was now. They asked Kate when they met her on the porch. She kept silent. Her parents knew that they had quarrels and thought they didn¡¯t hang out together now. Kate was tortured by the guilt inside a day worse than the day before. She could not eat or sleep well.


    To add salt to the wound, the neighbors talked her parents into introducing boys to Kate. It was true that in a small ce like their town, girls got married at 20-23. Her parents thought it was time.


    The boy introduced to her was her ssmate at elementary school, the guy who bullied her and wanted to copy her paper in the tests. That guy looked at her with bedroom eyes, and Kate felt a headache, wondering what their offspring would be like if she married him.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    As her father was getting better, Kate escaped home after two months. She took the train back to Los Angeles. At least she could see if she could do anything for Caroline in Los Angeles. She could probably only pray that Caroline was happy in heaven. Kate looked bitterly at the bleak winter scenery outside of the train.

 Chapter 10: His Surprise Gift

    Kate reached Los Angeles at dusk. After she got out of the train station, she found the street was decorated with roses and balloons. Lovers were showing affection in public. She realized that it was Valentine¡¯s Day. The huge screens outside the mall were showingmercials of diamonds, jewels, roses, and choctes. Yearning girls were looking up at the screen with envy.


    Kate smiled at the scene while avoiding the crowd. She shoved her way to the bus stop. This had nothing to do with her. She came to this city to make a living and caught sight of the evilest side of this prosperous city.


    Now the neon lights and luxurious shops could not distract her any longer. She felt that everything was costly, and sometimes people paid in blood. She was in the same city but in a different ce.


    Tristan was sitting in his car, flipping through a finance magazine. There was an interview with him. He didn¡¯t spend much time on the lengthy and ttering article but rested his eyes on a picture of himself wearing sunsses and a golf cap while holding a golf club. That image looked like a stranger to him.


    He saw from the corner of his eyes that the ss door of the apartment building was pushed open, and a slender figure came out. He put away the magazine and opened the car door.


    A tall and gorgeousdy wearing a ck mink cashmere coat and a red dress underneath came near. Her long sleek golden hair was braided into a bun. Her makeup perfectly enhanced her natural beauty. When she opened her mouth, a sweet and amiable voice said very pleasantly, ¡°Sorry for keeping you waiting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s OK.¡± Tristan opened the car door for her and took care that her head didn¡¯t bump the top of the car. When he got into the car, he produced a bouquet of red roses from the trunk. ¡°Happy Valentine¡¯s Day!¡±


    The woman was surprised with joy. She took it and made fun of him, ¡°I thought a busy guy like you wouldn¡¯t notice this holiday.¡±


    Tristan started the car and replied carelessly, ¡°The merchants won¡¯t let you forget it. The ad deluge could wake up the dead.¡±


    The woman changed her face imperceptibly. She wasn¡¯t happy with the reply, but she bent down her face to smell the scent of the flowers and touched the full petals, and said with a little delight, ¡°From Ecuador?¡±


    Tristan nodded. ¡°You have sharp eyes.¡±


    The woman curled her lips and smiled. These are exclusive roses for the wedding of the Spanish crown prince. They had deep significance.


    The party was held at the Shangri-La Hotel by the city chamber ofmerce. The decorations were stylish and high-end.


    As Tristan stepped into the hall, some people recognized him and smiled, trying to catch up with him. In just a moment, he was surrounded by people and became the spotlight of the hall. Tristan kept low-profile most of the time, and he rarely attended these kinds of events.


    He was in a ck suit and a white shirt. He appeared young and graceful among the crowd, made up of mostly middle-aged CEOs. His manners and speech were intelligent and gentle, which attracted admiration from most of the females there.


    There were quite a lot of rumors about him. Single so far, some said his wife died years ago, some said he had a dozen mistresses. But the prominent ring on his fourth finger added a mystery to their conjecture.


    However, this was no obstacle for moderndies who pursued true love. What really stopped them was thedy in the red dress beside him.


    The prettydy in the red dress had her own admirers too. As the hottest hostess of the finance channel, Jessie Henderson was highly educated, smart, and experienced in handling this kind of event. It definitely could boost a man¡¯s vanity to have a woman like her by his side. And what was not to be forgotten was her family background.


    Their family had an old history and had powerful and wealthy members in the past generations. Her father was rumored to be running for mayor of Los Angeles. This made her social status go up dramatically.


    One was the sworn enemy of men and the apple of the eyes of women, and the other one was just the opposite. This made a pair of them.


    Tristan, however, as the protagonist of the story, didn¡¯t think much of their rtions. Instead, he was a little absent-minded tonight. He didn¡¯t know why, but when he saw Jessie¡¯s inexpensive clothing and jewels, he thought of the girl in blue squatting on the snow. It was a totally different world from here¡­She must have felt cold.


    And then he wondered how old she was.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Judging from her pale but innocent face, probably less than 20. She was still a kid.


    Jessie¡¯s refreshing voice brought him to reality from his mental vagrancy. Someone walked up to him, probably a person whom Jessie had interviewed in her show. She introduced him to Tristan, and after some ttering on each side, they chatted on some hot subjects.


    As for Tristan bing the spotlight of tonight¡¯s event, another reason was his Chasin Group had just invested in a big project, andmark building-World Trade Center, which would be the financial center of Los Angeles. Now everything was ready, and the project was going to kick off in March. People in this business wanted to pry for more detailed information and see if they could get something from it.


    Tristan had been in the business for years, and he knew the tactics. He made no substantial promises but always left some room for hope to others. He wasn¡¯t as rxed inside as he seemed to be. Besides, this investment cost Chasin Group a great deal; as andmark building, the city government kept a close eye on it, which put great pressure on Tristan.


    Some gossip said that one officer in the municipal government even lost his job for this project. Of course, this was just gossip, and if it was true or not it could be verified. Anyway, he was under great pressure.


    Somebody wished him sess and a lot more hope for his failure. And not long ago, the incident of that disc was quite a headache for him. Fortunately, it was just an issue of money, but he was again reminded that he needed to take care of all sorts of matters, big and small.


    After the party, Tristan sent Jessie back home. Downstairs in her building, she asked if he would like to go up and have a cup of coffee. He thought for a second and said yes.

 Chapter 11: What Else You Want To Know?

    It was the first time he had been to Jessie¡¯s apartment. It was a high-end, one thousand square foot apartment for singles. From the vase ced in the hallway to the floormp in the sitting room, every detail of the decoration showed that the owner had an extraordinary and refined taste.


    Jessie took off her coat and turned the music on. She hummed the song that was ying and walked to the kitchen. She soon came back with a bottle of red wine, a dessert, and a sd.


    A magazine was spread out on the coffee table. Jessie put it away and said, ¡°I bought it because of you. The interview wasn¡¯t good. It was too general and vague, at least for my taste. For a low-profile and canny person like you, it isn¡¯t easy to have a good interview.¡± She shook the goblet in her hand and added, ¡°If I did it, I could probably do it a little better.¡±


    Tristan gave her a nce and said, ¡°Lucky, you didn¡¯t interview me.¡±


    Jessie looked directly at his eyes and said with seriousness, ¡°But I think I don¡¯t know you well enough either.¡±


    ¡°What else do you want to know?¡±


    The music was turning from merry and soothing to slow and lingering.


    Jessie had let her hair down, and she looked gentler. Her rosyplexion, blurred eyes, and full lips appeared more scarlet and fresh than the cherry in the sd. Her beautiful features made her difficult for him to refuse. Tristan didn¡¯t refuse, and then their lips were together, rubbing each other. Their tongues plunged deeper, rolling, exploring, and sucking.


    They were grown-ups. It was easy to get into this state.


    Tristan¡¯s hands were holding her slim waist and stroking, moving up to her soft full breasts.


    It was so natural that she started to loosen his tie. He gently pressed her hands and said quietly, ¡°I have something else to attend to tonight.¡±


    Jessie smiled and said with a scented breath, ¡°Lousy excuse.¡±


    Tristan calmed down immediately, and he got to his senses immediately. He heard her saying in his ear, ¡°What if I won¡¯t let you go?¡±


    He asked, ¡°Would you?¡±


    Jessie was a proud woman, and at the sight of the ring on his hand identally, her desire faded away in a half-second. She went back to sit on the couch and rubbed her temples, as if something urred to her suddenly, and chuckled, ¡°I almost forgot. I have a guest tonight.¡±


    Tristan took it as the signal to leave. ¡°Sorry. I have to go now.¡±


    A few minutester, when Tristan got back to his car, he didn¡¯t start the engine immediately. He lit a cigarette and pressed his forehead with his hands. He was surprised at his refusal.


    He had known Jessie for five years. Their rtions were between friends and lovers. From the outsiders, they were a perfect pair, and with that notion, both of them could avoid a lot of suitors.


    Jessie was different from most of the females because of her education and profession. She was pretty but not hollow. Of course, she had the same characteristics as most women-vain, affected, proud, and domineering, but only up to reasonable degrees. Besides, he was no perfect man either.


    They hit it off. He appreciated her and rather liked her.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    And to top all these, it was to his advantage to be with her.


    However, he could see that their rtions were like a kettle of water that was heating up but never quite boiling. It was his own problem, he knew.


    When the cigarette was almost out, he extinguished it. He caught sight of the lip print on the corner of his mouth from the rearview mirror. He wiped it with a piece of tissue, but then he found his shirt cor also had a lip print. He frowned and started the engine.


    Tristan drove back to his vi by the seaside. He had two houses. He lived in a high-end service apartment downtown most of his time and only came here on weekends or when he was in the mood asionally.


    When he got in the house, a snowball-like fat cat jumped off the couch and rushed to him. He changed into slippers and wanted to hold them. The big cat detected his alcoholic breath and retreated in disdain. Tristan smiled and patted its head. ¡°Be good. Papa will go to take a shower.¡±


    In the bathroom, he took off his ring and put it in a box on the counter carefully before he got undressed. The warm water sprayed down and hit his shapely body, streaming down along his firm and clearly defined muscles. He looked at himself, robust, streamlined, and youthful. A man of 35 years, he was still young and vigorous, with desires, ambitions, and overwhelming hormones. When he thought of that moment in Jessie¡¯s house, he shook his head. Was it a waste?


    After the shower, he applied some body lotion and put on his ring, and came out of the bathroom. The fat cat was squatting outside the bathroom loyally. He held it up and was startled. ¡°So heavy! You need to be on a diet.¡±


    The fat cat gave a snort at hisment and curled up in his armsfortably.


    He nned to watch TV for a while, but after pressing the remote for a long time, he found almost all channels were noisy parties, love stories, or family reunions. Reunion, for a person who could not have a reunion, wasn¡¯t what he wanted.


    In the few hundred square feet living room, a man and a cat, the scene was lonely. The cat looked decadent too. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have indulged itself in overeating. See, it developed a double chin. He touched its warm and soft neck with his chin and murmured, ¡°Did you miss her too, Lulu? Uh?¡±


    He carried the fat cat Lulu to a remote room at the end of the corridor. The room wasn¡¯t big, with ck and white geometric patterned carpets, a low bookshelf, and a grand piano. The piano was dark and shining like a mirror and free of dust. He went over, sat on the bench, and opened the cover.


    His fingers touched the keys, and without instructions of the brain, he yed naturally.


    Like the twinkling of a brook, the song flew smoothly in the air. It was the mostmonly yed background music, Souvenirs d¡¯enfance.


    The white caty over his knees and listened quietly.


    Tristan was immersed in his ying and enchanted in his imagination. A person was sitting below the stage and was moved to tears¡­He smiled in his imagination.


    Few people knew he could y the piano. He had no interest in music, but his mother forced him to learn. Later, every time he learned a new song, he only had one purpose, to y for a person. And the time he spent on the piano was the happiest time in half of his life, or maybe all of it.


    After he finished the song, he stopped and could feel the loss inside.


    The cat had fallen asleep on hisp. He could even hear it snore regrly in the silent room. Outside of the window was the dark dome of the sky. Suddenly, somebody lit a firework, and it brightened the sky for a few seconds.

 Chapter 12: Don鈥檛 Bully A Woman

    Kate went back to the supermarket for work. All her co-workers knew what had happened to her family and showed great concern for her. John even treated her to a feast after she had missed Sarah¡¯s birthday party. Kate was so moved. She didn¡¯t expect to have gained new friendships in this city.


    Kate had thought of leaving the city to avoid trouble, but she was afraid that no ce in this world was absolutely safe. Besides, it was not easy for a person like her to find a job. As the saying goes, a rolling stone gathers no moss.


    Another reason Kate wouldn¡¯t leave was thatst fall, she signed up for courses at the Open University. She had quit during herst year of high school because of her family¡¯s financial status, but she had still had dreams of going to college. When Kate found out she could sign up for courses without a high school diploma, she couldn¡¯t give up a chance to realize her dreams.


    After New Year¡¯s Day, John seemed to have matured and actually came to work on time every day. He even dragged his girlfriend Sarah, who usually lived on Chinese time, to work. But John found that Kate was quite different ever since her trip home. She worked hard as usual, but she always seemed flighty or distracted and regrly made mistakes.


    John reckoned that Kate was worried about her father¡¯s health and did what he could to take her mind off of this. Sometimes he invited Kate to hang out with him and Sarah. They went to karaoke together a couple of times, but it was always him and Sarah singing while Kate listened. Despite this, it seemed to cheer her up a little bit.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    They dragged Kate to discos and bars too.


    Kate didn¡¯t like these ces, but John persuaded her that it was healthy to release emotional pressure before you either turn crazy or die. A balloon will explode if you don¡¯t stop pumping air into it.


    Kate was really not interested in bouncing and twisting madly to the roaring music, but she was attracted to the fancy show of bartenders making cocktails. Tossing the shaker, lighting ss on fire, and pouring drinks behind his back, all these techniques amazed her and gave her short moments of peace.


    The bartender handed her a brightly colored drink after he finished his show. ¡°Ma¡¯am, this one is on the house.¡±


    Kate took it with appreciation, but she didn¡¯t dare to drink it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will carry you home if you are drunk.¡± John said.


    The young bartender exined casually, ¡°It is almost non-alcoholic. It is easier to get drunk with your boyfriend than with this.¡±


    Sarah, sitting nearby, threw a small pill into her own ss and asked whether John would like to have one while shaking the ss tipsily. John shook his head. Then Sarah drank it up, took off her jacket, and walked to join the dancing crowd.


    John sat with Kate by the bar and chatted with the bartender.


    After a while, there was amotion in the crowd.


    The music was still roaring. The crowd dispersed and formed a circle. Two women were wrestling with each other and rolling on the floor. John cast a nce casually at first but quickly stood up and rushed over. One of the women was Sarah.


    How they got into a fight was unknown. But they were fighting tooth and nail at the moment. A girl with neat bangs was sitting on Sarah, but Sarah was pulling those bangs with all her strength. Of course, she was pulling Sarah¡¯s hair too.


    The entire crowd stopped dancing and stood there to appreciate the free show.


    John and Kate finally managed to rescue Sarah from the fight. The girl with formerly neat bangs was visibly annoyed. She covered her face with one hand and pointed at John and Kate with the other hand and said, ¡°Bitch! You got helpers. Just wait.¡±


    Then she took out her mobile phone and made a call. ¡°Honey! Somebody bullied me in the bar!¡±


    Someone in the crowd said, ¡°You¡¯re in trouble now. You pissed off the gang.¡±


    The girl with now tousled bangs yelled, ¡°Wait until my husbandes¡­if you have the guts.¡±


    John was reluctant to admit defeat and bluffed that they would wait, but he was thinking of retreating. He signaled Kate to get their things and pulled Sarah, who was unaware of the danger and was still having a verbal battle, away from the girl and her bangs.


    John and Kate held each of Sarah¡¯s arms and dragged her out of the bar to hail a cab. But as soon as they got out of the bar, a bunch of people blocked their way.


    Kate raised her head and was shocked.


    Even under the dim street light, she could recognize the leading guy, who wore ragged jeans and held a cigarette between his lips. He was Curly haired!


    There were four to five men beside him. Some were skinheads, and some had scars on their faces. None of them looked kind.


    Kate lowered her head and leaned toward John hastily. Someone rushed over and threw herself into Curly-hair¡¯s arms. Then she turned around and pointed at John.


    ¡°Honey, they bullied me.¡± The girl said in anger.


    The man who she was calling ¡°honey¡± was Curly-hair, AKA Ed. Ed lowered his head and saw three obvious bloodstains on his girlfriend¡¯s fair face. It was quite shocking. He spat and said, ¡°Hey. It is based on you to bully a woman.¡±


    John argued, ¡°It was just women fighting, scratching and pulling hair. My girlfriend also got scratches on her face.¡±


    As he was saying this, he drew Sarah close to show off her scratches, but shit, there was nothing on her face! ¡°What a bitch,¡± he cursed internally.


    One of the guys jeered, ¡°Maybe she has internal injuries? How about stripping off her clothes and letting me examine her?¡±


    John got irritated. ¡°Cut the crap. What do you guys want?¡±


    Ed threw away the cigarette butt and spoke in a strange voice, ¡°Nothing. So your girl scratched mine? Which finger did she use? Just cut that finger.¡±


    Kate shuddered with fear because she knew these people would really do it.


    John pushed Sarah behind him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bully a woman. Come to me!¡±


    ¡°Brave of you.¡± The man was waiting for these words. He waved at his guys and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    It was not until then that they realized that these guys had weapons with them. Some had long iron sticks, and some pulled out their metal belt buckles from their jeans. They waved their weapon and approached.

 Chapter 13: Bloody Fight

    Kate was stunned. They were besieged, and there was no way to escape. It was a remote ce, far away from downtown. A few passers-by fled when they saw the scene. Kate reached her pocket for her cell phone.


    John was outnumbered and was soon kicked down on the floor, as sticks and feet came down on him. Sarah turned pale and screamed like a siren.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Seeing John in danger, Kate shouted, ¡°Stop! I¡¯ve called the police. They¡¯re on their way.¡±


    However, her words did not threaten those people at all. After a pause of a few seconds, sticks continued to rain down on John. Kate intended to help John up during this pause but felt a strike on her back during the chaos. She became dizzy and suddenly fell on top of John.


    John held his head with both hands and cried in panic, ¡°Kate, are you OK? Son of a bitch! How can you beat a woman¡­?¡±


    John roared with anger and rose up, about to put up a desperate fight.


    Ed was watching the fight with his girlfriend in his arms. The moment he heard the name, he got startled and tilted his head to find the one on the ground that was the idiot girl. The other men with weapons also stopped for a while, as they had not seen a girl trying to protect a man.


    At that moment, a siren sounded from somewhere in the distance. Everyone was shocked. They didn¡¯t expect that the girl had really called the police. Ed waved his hand and ordered them, ¡°You guys go first.¡±


    His bros were loyal to him. ¡°Ed, we cannot leave you down here. We will stick with you, even in jail.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Just go. You guys staying here would screw things up. I can handle it myself.¡±


    Obeying Ed¡¯s orders, his bros got their weapons and scattered into the darkness. Only two men and three girls stayed where they were.


    The police car stopped next to the scene. Kate got on her feet with John¡¯s help. She opened her hazy eyes.


    ¡°Are you OK?¡±


    Two voices sounded simultaneous.


    The other voice came from a face leaning out of the window of the police car.


    A young face.


    Kate focused her eyes on him. She was ck-jawed at first, but then recognition shed across her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± she said in a low voice.


    She struggled to stand up straight. John immediately lent support to her.


    Two front doors on both sides of the police car were opened at the same time, and two policemen in uniform stepped out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Ed held his girlfriend in his arms and walked to them, and said respectfully, ¡°Hello, Sergeant York and Sergeant Pierce. Here¡¯s the case. My girlfriend was having fun inside the bar. These three guys beat her up.¡± He lifted his girlfriend¡¯s chin and showed her face to them.


    ¡°You see, her fair face was ruined. This is beastly.¡±


    The sergeant called York swept his eyes over him.


    ¡°Edward Lockwood, Security Manager of Chasin Group?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡± Ed smiled and stretched his hand out to Sergeant York.


    Sergeant York ignored him and looked at the scratches on Ed¡¯s girlfriend¡¯s face.


    ¡°Who did it?¡±


    The bangs girl pointed to Sarah in anger.


    Sergeant York frowned and then pointed to Kate and asked Ed, ¡°Then why did you beat her?¡±


    Sergeant Pierce added, ¡°Right. We saw you and a group of people beating this girl. It didn¡¯t look fair.¡±


    Ed responded casually, ¡°You must have made a mistake, sergeants. There are only five of us here. I didn¡¯t touch her.¡±


    John, who was lending support to Kate, snorted.


    Sergeant York swept his eyes over them and finally rested his gaze on Kate¡¯s face.


    ¡°Go to the hospital first and get checked out.¡±


    Kate waved her hand hastily. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯m OK.¡±


    Sergeant York was stupefied.


    Kate continued, ¡°I fell to the ground just now.¡±


    John mumbled aggrievedly, ¡°Kate, are you stupid?¡±


    Sergeant York walked up to Kate and gazed at her for a few seconds. Then he suddenly reached out his hand and pressed her back. She soon cried with pain. Sergeant York frowned.


    ¡°What if you have a fracture or injury on your spine? Go to the hospital first. It is my call.¡± York said firmly and sternly.


    Kate was intimidated into silence. She kept her head down while being helped into the police car by John. Sergeant York ordered hispany to take Ed¡¯s car, ¡°You go with them. The scratches on her face also have to be treated in the hospital in case her pretty face is ruined.¡±

 Chapter 14: They鈥檙e The Devil鈥檚 Herd Gang

    Kate had an X-Ray at the nearest general hospital. After viewing the X-ray, the doctor said, ¡°Your soft tissues are injured. Luckily it missed the really important parts a little bit, your bones are intact.¡±


    Everyone let out a sigh of relief.


    Sergeant York was still frowning. He asked, ¡°What is the cause of this injury?¡±


    ¡°Probably a thump from a metal club or something like that,¡± answered the doctor.


    Sergeant York nced at Ed sternly.


    Ed threw up his hands, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I don¡¯t have anything in my hands. You can search for me.¡±


    Sergeant York curved up his lips.


    ¡°Why so nervous? I didn¡¯t say you did it. You were with your friends earlier, weren¡¯t you? Today is the birthday of your ex-boss, Dan Gilbert. You guys just left the Golden Bar, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    John¡¯s face paled.


    Sergeant York turned his eyes from him to Kate.


    ¡°You can sue them,¡± York said in an official tone.


    Kate looked muddled.


    He exined, ¡°This is an intentional injury. You can take legal action forpensation. We will investigate and assist in providing evidence.¡±


    Defying his expectations, Kate stated categorically, ¡°I fell somewhere identally.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Sergeant York asked while squinting at her.


    A twinkle came into Kate¡¯s eyes. She answered calmly, ¡°On the steps of the inte bar nearby.¡±


    Everyone was stupefied. There was indeed an inte bar on the 2nd floor with an outdoor iron stairway.


    Sergeant York¡¯s face darkened with anger.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Kate nodded.


    ¡°What about him?¡± He raised his hand and pointed to John.


    Just now, the lights were rather dim outside, and at that moment, it could be seen clearly that John had quite severe bruising on his face and bloodstains on the corners of his mouth. Everyone in the room stiffened. Kate looked at him nervously and saw him grit his teeth and say, ¡°I¡­ rolled down the stairway.¡±


    Sergeant York snorted.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Edughed, ¡°Ho-ho!¡±


    He said innocently, ¡°You did me wrong, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯m aw-abiding citizen. You can¡¯t me me for everything bad due to some past issues.¡±


    Sergeant York alsoughed and said, ¡°Then you¡¯d better stay away from that gang. You¡¯re now a regr employee of arge corporation. Even if not for yourself, you have to behave for the sake of your corporation and for Mr. Fox. Chasin is the star enterprise of our state. It is under the spotlight.¡±


    John nodded hurriedly and put on a modest expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, sir. I surely will take a lesson from this and not make trouble for ourpany.¡±


    Before leaving, Sergeant York took a long nce at Sarah, who had been hiding. She regained her calm demeanor at the moment Sergeant York left, and her face became pale after the shock of this incident. She felt that the sergeant might have seen through everything.


    In a cab on their way back, John cursed indignantly on the back seat, ¡°Son of a bitch! That was too much! Kate, were you beaten dumb? Why did you conceal the truth from them? Too good for them!¡±


    Sarah, who had been silent, chipped in, ¡°You¡¯re an idiot yourself. Do you know who they are? They¡¯re the Devil¡¯s Herd gang.¡±


    It went without saying that there were several underworld gangs in every city, and the so-called Devil¡¯s Herd was currently flourishing. They were also surely the most savage gang operating in Los Angeles currently. They had rtionships with big guys in all relevant departments, and everyone turned a blind eye to them.


    People who suffered from them had to take it as bad luck to avoid further involvement with them.


    Hearing Sarah¡¯s words, John became furious. He twisted his neck, turned back to her, and cursed, ¡°Damn it! It was all because of you! You had nearly killed Kate. You go on taking your drugs, and they will kill you soon one way or another.¡±


    Sarah wanted to talk back, but seeing his swollen face, suppressed herself.


    Kate hurried to make peace. ¡°It is lucky it ended up this way. John, are you OK? Do you need to go to the hospital and have a checkup?¡±


    John replied with his neck upright, ¡°I¡¯m OK. The sticks were just tickling for me. I¡¯m a strong man.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Kate knew beatings by iron sticks weren¡¯t fun. ¡°What if your bones are broken?¡±


    John felt a lump in his throat. ¡°Stop worrying about others. You thought we were as na?ve as you.¡±

 Chapter 15: Where Are You Going To Take Me?

    Standing at the door of the Police Station, Kate¡¯s heart was beating fast. This ce gave her a feeling of awe as if the air here carried deterrence. The persons in uniform were admirable to her.


    She didn¡¯t know how many times the door had been opened and closed until three policemen came out with raucousughter. They were all tall and manly, and the one in the middle was the most outstanding one. She shouted, ¡°Sergeant York?¡±


    The man looked over, paused at the sight of her, and then frowned.


    The one beside him seemed to be making a joke and punched York on the arm. When he looked at her again, he walked closer and said coldly, ¡°What is it? Regret?¡±


    Kate was puzzled at first but soon understood and said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then what did youe here for?¡± His unfriendly tone made Kate panic, but she summoned her courage and said, ¡°You don¡¯t remember me?¡±


    Sergeant York stared at her and didn¡¯t speak. She began to get disappointed when he opened his mouth, ¡°Two years ago, at Coastal Hotel Karaoke.¡±


    Kate was relieved. ¡°You remember now?¡±


    ¡°I thought of you that night. But,¡± he stopped for a second. ¡°You are different from how you were.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Kate got back to her purpose ofing here. ¡°All thanks to you that time, otherwise I would¡­I was so confused that I didn¡¯t formally thank you.¡±


    Sergeant York smoothed his brows and said, ¡°You are wee. That is what we do.¡±


    Kate knew that was what police do, but not all police were nice to ordinary citizens. Sergeant York was one head higher than her and with the police cap even taller. There was a big gap between them physically and psychologically. But she still managed to ask carefully, ¡°Could we have lunch or a coffee?¡±


    She had thought many times about thanking him over the past two years, but she didn¡¯t know how or where to find him.


    Sergeant York raised the corners of his eyebrows and said, ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Kate said hastily, ¡°Any time. At your convenience.¡±


    Sergeant York thought for a second and said, ¡°OK. You give me your phone number. I will call you when I get hungry.¡±


    Kate was delighted that he agreed so easily and gave him her number. He saved it on his phone and said to himself, ¡°Kate, a nice name.¡±


    ¡°Do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°Alvin York?¡± Kate made a joke.


    ¡°He is my great-grandfather. Ha-ha. Just kidding you. I¡¯m Jimmy York.¡±


    A cough from not far away interrupted their conversation. Two of Jimmy¡¯s colleagues who were waiting for him darted a mysterious look at them, implying they might be gossiping about Jimmy now. Jimmy asked before she left, ¡°Well, how¡¯s your back?¡±


    Kate replied hastily, ¡°Much better now.¡±


    ¡°Take care. Go to see a doctor if it feels funny.¡± Jimmy said.


    Kate smiled and said genuinely, ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    Her smiling face in the sunlight distracted him, then he waved goodbye to her and got back to his colleagues. The tall men soon went away. Kate stood still, listening to their unbridledughter fade away.


    However, a week passed, and Jimmy didn¡¯t call her. Kate thought he probably forgot about it or even lost her phone number. As she was weighing calling him, Jimmy called and asked where she was.


    Kate told him the supermarket¡¯s address. Ten minutester, he called her, asking her toe out.


    The moment Kate walked out of the exit of the supermarket, she saw a Pajero parked on the side of the road. Jimmy slid down the window of his car and waved to her. He opened the door next to the passenger seat from inside.


    He wore casual clothes on that day: a dark green windbreaker and a ck high-necked sweater. Though he still looked rugged and uninhibited, he was gentler than he was in uniform. His short hair stood up on his head, a little unruly but spiritually strong. Kate thought, ¡°He is full of vim, vigor, and vitality.¡±


    Jimmy turned his head and asked immodestly, ¡°Where are you going to take me?¡±


    Kate answered honestly, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with this area. You pick.¡±


    ¡°OK. I will take you to a good ce. Buckle up.¡±


    Before she buckled up and turned back, he stepped on the gas pedal, and the car shot forward. Kate was jolted back in her seat by the abrupt eleration.


    ¡°Is this a police protocol? He¡¯s even less reliable than John, the wild one.¡± Kate thought in her mind.


    Jimmy noticed and apologizedughingly, ¡°Sorry, I get used to driving fast. Bad guys are fast, and we need to outrun them.¡±


    The rxed smile on his face bemused Kate. It was that kind of lopsided smile with only one corner of his mouth curled up. He looked cool, very different from his solemn image at work. Who knew? Maybe this was what he really was like.

 Chapter 16: Are You Afraid Of Me?

    Detecting that she was ill at ease, Jimmy asked amusedly, ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡±


    Kate shook her head immediately.


    Jimmy said, ¡°They say I am too hot to be a policeman, so I have to pull a long face at work to match the outfits. Luckily I can still be who I am when I get rid of the costumes.¡± And he made a face to indicate he was just joking.


    Kate burst intoughter and asked casually, ¡°Don¡¯t you need to go to work today, sir?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so polite. Just call me Jimmy.¡±


    As for speaking, he nced over at her and continued, ¡°You prefer me in uniform?¡±


    Kate was struck dumb. ¡°Oh, no, I was just asking.¡±


    Jimmy said with a casual air, ¡°I thought you liked uniformed temptation.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t catch him. ¡°What?¡±


    Looking into her big green eyes, Jimmy suddenly realized that she was not one of his female colleagues whom he could freely make fun of. Her confused look made him think of himself taking liberties with a high school student. He felt ashamed for his attitude.


    He hurriedly held it back. ¡°Nothing.¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The car zigzagged its way through alleys and finally stopped by a courtyard. The cyan colored stone wall was a bit old, and the pitch-ck iron gate was half-open. There was a small board hung on the gate with a few words on it: ¡°Lexi¡¯s Mexican Kitchen.¡± This man drove so far to such a ce, ordinary and even crude. Was he saving money for her?


    Amused by her puzzled expression, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be deceived by its modest appearance. The food here is superb. And of course,¡± his tone changed suddenly, ¡°the prices are also nice.¡±


    Hearing that, Kate reached for her satchel. She had all her savings with her. One thousand dors.


    They pushed the door open, and an old man came up to wee them. He was of medium height, lean, tanned skin with grey hair and a benign face. Jimmy greeted him warmly. It was spacious and bright inside. There was a young couple dining on the other side of the restaurant.


    Jimmy knew the ce well as if he was at home. He pointed at the seats by the window and asked Kate to sit down. Then he picked up the in-looking menu on the table and asked Kate if there was any food she avoided.


    Kate shook her head and asked him to just go ahead and order for both of them, as she didn¡¯t know the meaning of the names of the food at all. Then he ordered torti soup, enchdas, quesadis, and fajitas.


    The old man got into the kitchen to help prepare their meal, while Jimmy prepared the juice for them. Before long, the guests at the other table left and paid their bill. There were only the two of them left. Jimmy found a remote and turned on the TV.


    He switched the channels for a long time and finally stopped at a teen si. Looking at the hrious teen girls and boys jumping on the screen, Kate asked curiously, ¡°You like watching this?¡±


    Jimmy raised his eyebrows. ¡°No. I picked it for you, in case you get bored waiting for the food.¡±


    He showed a wronged face to amuse Kate. Sheughed, ¡°Thank you, then.¡±


    An olddy with an apron came over with a dish in her hands. She looked chubby and kind. She saidughingly, ¡°Here¡¯s the enchda.¡±


    Kate took her hands from the table to make room for it. The portion was generous.


    Jimmy took a breath dramatically and added lemon and a spoon of chili sauce to the enchda. He said with a sigh, ¡°Dear! I¡¯ve been missing it these days in my dreams.¡±


    Lexi, the olddy, saidughingly, ¡°Jimmy, it has been two months ago you came herest. What major cases have you been busy cracking?¡±


    Jimmy¡¯s face darkened, and he replied depressingly, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ve been running trivial errands all the time. Major cases don¡¯te to me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you will find the next mafia while running errands someday.¡±


    Kate burst intoughter.


    Lexi caught sight of Kate¡¯s little dimples and said in surprise, ¡°Pretty dimple girl. Jimmy, your taste has improved a lottely.¡±


    Jimmy dramatically put on a woebegone look at once and said, ¡°Lexi, don¡¯t you disclose my story. You made me look like a yboy. You should take responsibility if I am still single after 30.¡±


    Lexi responded immediately, ¡°No problem. I have a granddaughter¡­¡±


    Jimmy coughed. ¡°If I remember correctly, your granddaughter is in primary school, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Going to junior high next year. Can¡¯t you wait for a few more years?¡±


    Kate was amused. Both the olddy and the young man were jokesters. But thinking of herself being involved in their joke, she felt her face slightly burning.

 Chapter 17: You鈥檙e A Good Man

    All the dishes were served soon. The food was authentic and thus really hot. Thanks to the juice, they could ease the spicy feeling from time to time. At the time, Lexi had just finished her work in the kitchen, so she sat down to have a rest and chat with them.


    Lexi said Kate looked like the star Taylor Swift. Then they talked about girls in Los Angeles. Jimmy said one of his and his colleagues¡¯ biggest hobbies was counting beauties on the streets. Their conversation started to proceed in an active atmosphere, and Kate felt at home.


    Lexi said, ¡°Jimmy is a picky eater.¡±


    Jimmy showed hiscency. ¡°I am a gastronome. I¡¯m not bragging, but anywhere with a yummy smell of food in this city cannot escape my nose.¡±


    Kate drank her juice and then saidughingly, ¡°You have a sensitive nose.¡±


    He reacted. ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m a dog?¡±


    Jimmy found that Kate¡¯s lips were red and a little bit swollen because of the hot food, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes got misty. She was more enchanting than usual. Jimmy fell into a trance momentarily, and soon he understood why that bastard would have evil thoughts about her.


    One meal could make one know much about the other. Kate started to see Jimmy in a new light. He was totally different from how she had felt about him previously. The man was quite generous, seeming to forget the fact that it was her treat, and took out his wallet. But she managed to pay the bill before him.


    Once they got in the car, Jimmy seemed to be another person. He returned to his old self.


    He didn¡¯t start the car at once but stared forward and kept quiet for a while. Then he suddenly asked, ¡°Why were you unwilling to use them that day?¡±


    Kate answered truthfully, ¡°Even though we had the evidence to use him, they could have taken revenge on John. He often goes to ces like that with Sarah. We cannot afford to offend him.¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    Kate was confused. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Edward.¡±


    Kate was shocked. How could he see through it?


    ¡°My eyes are made for a detective, and I¡¯ve been a policeman for almost four years,¡± Jimmy said peacefully.


    Seeing Kate shift instantly to high alert, he exined, ¡°It¡¯s nothing that you know him. This is not a crime. I just want to warn you that this man is not simple. He was in the gang before. He did all kinds of bad things. Butter, he wormed his way into arge corporation somehow. He goes by the name of the head of public security corps, but he¡¯s actually a hired thug.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t say a word. She was thinking more than a hired thug.


    Jimmy didn¡¯t probe more about the issue. He leaned back to the seatzily and stared forward with a serious expression.


    Then he changed the topic. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re connected to some extent. I remembered the case three years ago. You said you just came to LA, and I was a green hand who just graduated from college at that time. I was young, vigorous, and full of a sense of justice. I flew into a rage when I came across things like that.¡±


    ¡°You came to thank me, especially the other day. I wasn¡¯t feeling right about it. It¡¯s the duties of the police to protect the honest people and bring the bad guys to justice. However, nowadays, this seems to be something rare. If you do nothing, nobody will consider it abnormal; but if you do one thing that you¡¯re supposed to do, you¡¯ll be deeply remembered and appreciated.¡±


    He paused for a little while and continued, ¡°But I always remember what you said at that time. You told me that you would never sell your body and dignity even if you would starve to death.¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart trembled. She forgot what she had said in a moment of desperation when she was in her stupid teen years. But he remembered it, until now. She suddenly felt warm in her heart and became speechless.


    As both of them were deep in the same memory but in different thoughts, Jimmy¡¯s mobile phone rang. He answered the phone and replied briefly. After hanging up, he looked at Kate and spoke to her in a slightly sorry tone, ¡°Sorry, I have a new task now.¡±


    Kate replied hurriedly, ¡°Just go. I¡¯ll get back on my own.¡± Then she reached out her hand to push the door.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Jimmy said to her, sincerely, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for a girl to lead a life far away from home. Just feel free to call me if youe across any trouble. We¡¯re friends.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Kate. She got out of the car. Before she closed the door, she added, ¡°You¡¯re a good man.¡±


    Jimmy smiled, turned the steering wheel to back the car up, and set off.


    Kate saw the Pajero disappear into the traffic stream. She was recalling the word in her mind and pondering over it. The man, who helped her twice out of the only three times they had met, regarded her as a friend. ¡°Friend¡± was really a warm word.

 Chapter 18: You Can Keep It

    Tristan and Jessie had not met since the events of the past Valentine¡¯s Day. They were both naturally workaholics and therefore stayed busy. Tristan was busying himself with the World Trade Center project, and Jessie flew to Europe and stayed there for an economics forum.


    It was not until over a monthter that Jessie called Tristan and asked him to meet at the gym.


    Tennis was her favorite sport. First, the outfit could highlight her prominent feminine shape; and the movement was both elegant and lively, which could disy her youthful side. Jessie was a good yer and was confident in both her appearance and skill, but today she was out of form and had serious errors, obviously incapable of disying her full range of skills.


    Tristan remarked of her casually, ¡°You are under par today. Why is that?¡±


    Jessie said she had been tiredtely.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    The high-intensity job of live shows made her physically exhausted. She also felt fragile mentally when she was exhausted. Like most women, she hoped there was a man to lean on at this point in her career. The one she had expectations of, however, seemed to her like a saint instead of a normal man.


    After a few sets, she won fewer than she lost. She knew that Tristan let her win sometimes. Her self-esteem made her more depressed. And to make things worse, they met a friend of Tristan when they took a break.


    He had a young girl by his side, not more than 20 years old. Her youthful face and tender skin increased Jessie¡¯s sense of crisis. Two years ago, she could carry on despite the presence of these kinds of ignorant girls, but she started to feel that they were threatening her today.


    Jessie had Japanese food for lunch and probably ate too much sashimi with wasabi, thus on their way back, she felt extremely parched. Tristan handed her a bottle of purified water in the car, but she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like this, too in.¡±


    Tristanughed and said, ¡°It is healthy.¡±


    But she insisted, ¡°I want to have yogurt.¡±


    She was acting coquettishly, but it seemed to be working. There was a supermarket ahead, and Tristan pulled over the car and went out to buy yogurt for her.


    Jessie wascent inside while she waited in the car. If she knew the consequences of this move, she would probably be deeply sorry.


    It was a small supermarket with two cashiers at the door.


    Inside, the atmosphere was surprisingly joyful. A young man was telling a joke while sorting through merchandise, and girls in uniform giggled at his joke.


    Tristan scanned the beverage aisle, but most of the products were public brands. Eventually, he picked one yogurt that looked barely eptable and went to the cashier.


    The cashier had a ponytail and wore an apron printed with the supermarket logo. She was bending down, sorting the drawers. When he came close, she raised her face and smiled. The two cute dimples on her cheek were distinct in the sunlight.


    Their eyes met, and they were both struck dumb. The smile on the girl¡¯s face stiffened, and her fair face became even paler.


    Tristan feigned calm immediately, pretending nothing had happened. He passed her the bottle. ¡°I want to buy this one.¡±


    The girl with the dimples got her senses back and took the yogurt, slightly trembling. She scanned the barcode and said without raising her head, ¡°sixteen dors.¡±


    Tristan took out his wallet and passed the cashier a fifty-dor bill. She stretched her fair hand and took it from him and hastened to get change for him. She dropped the coins on the floor by ident. The coins hit the tiled floor and gave out a crisp sound. She bent down to pick them up.


    Tristan stared at her silently, but when she rose up, he said, ¡°You can keep it.¡± And he walked out of the door.


    Kate looked at his back as he walked out, got into his big ck sedan, and drove away. She took a long breath. It never urred to her that they would meet again in this way. The city was still not big enough, way too small.


    ¡°My God, Kate became a nympho finally.¡± And there burst outughter from the back of the store. Kate turned around to find that everyone was looking at her.


    John had stopped telling his joke. Crap. They all saw what happened. She felt ill at ease, like she had been caught stealing something or one of her secrets being exposed to the public.


    They all took it as her being shy and stopped teasing her. Sarah sighed, ¡°I saw that man when he entered. He was really hot, hotter than Brad Pitt.¡±


    ¡°Did you see his clothes? They are super expensive. Should be a big rich guy.¡± Another girl named Jenny echoed.


    John curled his lips in contempt, ¡°This kind of man changes woman every day like changing a diaper. A lower-ss man like me is more reliable for women.¡±


    ¡°You? Stop putting adjectives before you. You can only narrowly be categorized into the man.¡± Sarah retorted.


    Narrowly? John rolled his eyes.


    Suddenly Sarah cried out, ¡°Wait. The way the man looked at Kate was suspicious.¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she heard Jenny ask, ¡°What was wrong with it?¡±


    Sarah gave it a thought and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say it. It was like his eyes popped out and then nothing. But from a woman¡¯s instinct,¡± she stopped yfully.


    ¡°Kate, I think he had an interest in you. Uh, like in the movies, love at first sight, and rags-to-riches for Kate. You think he wille to our supermarket every day from now on?¡±

 Chapter 19: Do You Want To Have Some?

    Jessie took a few sips of the yogurt. She had been critical of food, but it was brought to her personally, so she had to appreciate it.


    She knew Tristan was different from her. He treated caviar and pancakes as the same food group. He didn¡¯t look like a regr billionaire. She appreciated him, but she could never learn his ways.


    She screwed up the cap and looked at his profile. Chiseled face, deep-set eyes,posed and wise after the honing of years, youthful at his age and with a mysterious depth. Jessie was wailing inside: she had fallen in love with this man.


    She blurted out, ¡°This afternoon¡­¡±


    Before she finished, Tristan said, ¡°I have a meeting at 2:30.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    They were silent all the way back. And before getting out of the car, Jessie asked casually, ¡°Am I too old now?¡±


    Tristan was startled, and when the car came to a stop, he looked at a few dressed up girls walking by and said, ¡°People are different. Some are like meteors, and some are like stars.¡±


    Jessie¡¯s heart was warmed and softened, and her eyes sparkled with love. The best gift for a woman who was panicking at the turn of age was the approval of a man.


    When she was on the ascending lift, she saw her lonely figure in the mirror and came to realize that the best gift wasn¡¯t just approval. It was amitment, amitment that could dispel her worries and could be relied on.


    On his way back to thepany, Tristan turned on the radio. Kenny Rogers¡¯ mellow voice, full of affection, filled up the air. A song and a singer that belonged to their own time. And it suddenly urred to him that it was March 1st today. He heaved a long sigh.


    My love, there¡¯s so many ways I want to say I love you.


    Let me hold you in my arms, forevermore.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    You have gone and made me such a fool;


    I¡¯m so lost in your love.


    And oh, we belong together.


    Won¡¯t you believe in my song?


    Something forgotten was waking up and seemed so close but also so far away.


    At the red traffic light, Tristan took out his wallet and opened it. There was a picture of it.


    A beautiful woman, with spirited eyes and a joyful smile, looked up at him from the wallet-sized picture. His fingers touched her cheeks and then stopped at the dimples.


    He raised his hand and pressed his forehead, reminding himself to stop dwelling on this.


    Seeing that person again, it was like a sleeping torpedo was detonated suddenly. Terror, rage, and deep guilt had all emerged to the surface of Tristan¡¯s consciousness.


    Kate went to the bank after work and wired some money to her the cards of her brother and sister who were at school. And she felt a little relieved.


    Dayster, Jimmy York called her and asked her out to dinner.


    Hearing his brisk and amiable voice, she felt joyful and at ease again. She could get away from the past and start over again, she thought.


    This time Jimmy took her to a fancy restaurant. They didn¡¯t book the table in advance, and it was full when they got there.


    But the manager heard it was Sergeant York and gave them a reserved table immediately. He even came over to chat with Jimmy York for a minute. Jimmy told her jokingly that that was the welfare of policemen.


    He ordered quite many yummy and exquisite foods and wines. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not very rich, but I still can afford it.¡±


    Kate found he was in a good mood and quite talkative today. Of course, he was always talkative, but it was a little different than his usual demeanor. Indeed, he could not hold it in for long and told her his good news. ¡°I am going to move to the criminal police team next week. I will be able to get some big cases.¡±


    Seeing he was gearing up excitedly, Kate congratted him. ¡°I am so happy for you. You will have your dreamse true.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, and he lifted the bottle of wine. ¡°Do you want to have some?¡±


    ¡°OK, give me some,¡± Kate said after a pause.


    He poured half a ss for her. It tasted mellow and smooth and left a fragrance lingering in her mouth after she drank it down. She thought perhaps his heart was probably feeling like the wine now.

 Chapter 20: Is He That Guy?

    Sergeant York introduced each of the dishes to Kate and even told her how they had been prepared.


    ¡°You know so much about food.¡± She said,


    ¡°Yes. My family is in this business.¡±


    ¡°They have a restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± York grinned. To be exact, they had chains of more than ten restaurants in California. But he rarely told others about it because he had been overweight when he was a teenager.


    ¡°Really? I could not imagine what you looked like when you were fat.¡±


    ¡°When I decided to be a policeman, I started a diet. I went out running for 15 miles a day. My mom cried after seeing me lose so much weight.¡±


    ¡°So you decided to be a policeman very early on?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°My parents started from scratch. They rented a very small shop and sold pancakes and hotdogs at first. Because the food they made was delicious and cheap, they had good business.¡±


    ¡°Some street gangs always came to find trouble. They asked for a protection fee, free food and also sometimes kicked out the customers. My parents could not keep the shop there and were about to close down. A few policemen who patrolled the area saw this and taught the gang a lesson. From then on, our business became better and better, and we had to expand.¡±


    York continued, ¡°I remember one time the gang came for trouble. They kicked the tables over and threw things out into the street, broke the dishes, and scared off all the customers. I was so scared, and I hid under a table. A policeman squatted down and lifted up the tablecloths and found me. He told me that I was a man and should be brave and not shed tears.¡±


    He pursed his lips and said sarcastically, ¡°I sat on the floor under the table, and I looked at him. He was over six feet and wearing a uniform, imposing, and impressive. He was a hero in my young eyes. I made up my mind to be a person like him.¡±


    Kate listened attentively. She didn¡¯t expect that he had such an emotional story.


    ¡°He came to see me from time to time. And I went to the police academy after high school. I was hoping one day when I graduated, I could work with him, but¡­¡± He sighed.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kate was attracted by his story.


    ¡°He passed away.¡± Jimmy said with sorrow, ¡°Four years ago. Traffic ident.¡±


    ¡°They said it was an ident, but I felt it was fishy.¡± The hand he held his ss in turned pale, and he ground his teeth and said, ¡°One day, I will find out the truth and put them behind bars.¡±


    His eyes became vicious while he said this. Kate was shocked and was reminded of another person. The person who pressed her head into the water showed these kinds of eyes too. He was calm in his face, but his eyes were shining with that kind of light. Whenever she thought of it, she shivered and crept.


    Jimmy drank up the wine in his ss and sighed. ¡°It is so rxing to be with you. I can vent whatever is in my heart. Kate, do you know what your biggest merit is?¡±


    Kate shook her head nkly.


    ¡°Listening.¡± He smiled. ¡°You are a good listener. This makes you different from most of the girls.¡±


    Kate was a little embarrassed at hispliment. You knew a lot of girls, she thought.


    And he added, ¡°It is safe to talk to you because you can keep secrets. Any secrets that reach you will not be passed on.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± She was surprised.


    Heughed withcency. ¡°Because I am a cop. I have seen many people lie, and I see through their heart.¡± And then he stared at her and smiled mysteriously, ¡°Like now, I can see that you have something inside.¡±


    Having the secret of her heart pointed out so directly, Kate was a little panicked butposed herself and looked into Jimmy¡¯s eyes. He still fixed his eyes on her and said, ¡°You are not happy. You are repressing your feelings.¡±


    After a moment of silence, heughed out and talked like a big brother to her. ¡°Why not try telling me what upsets you? See if I can help.¡± And then he suddenly felt proud of his promotion and said, ¡°I will have more power soon. I can probably help you more than before.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯tugh but paused for a moment, and then she asked calmly, ¡°If a person made a mistake that he thinks is unforgivable, what should he do?¡±


    Jimmy thought about it seriously and said, ¡°Either correct it or forget it.¡± When he saw Kate frowning in meditation, he continued. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes. If it is irreconcble, then try to forget it. Forgetting the past and starting over is also a form of redemption.¡±


    Kate thought about his words and asked again, ¡°Did you make this kind of mistake before?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He said seriously, ¡°When I was a child, I went to y by the river with my ymates. We caught some small tadpoles and put them in a small pit we dug. But after we had lunch and came back to see them, they had all died in the dry pit under the sun.¡± He showed sorrow and said, ¡°Killing for no cause. That was unforgivable.¡±


    She knew he was tried to make her rxed with that joke. And she smiled.


    When they got up to leave the restaurant, they passed by a table with half a dozen people. Kate identally scanned the table, and her heart missed a beat when she caught sight of the well-groomed man. She could still recognize him even if he had turned into ashes. And she wished she could erase the scene from her memory.


    That man recognized her immediately too. Apparently, she left an indelible impression on him. He looked at her and then at Jimmy.


    He seemed startled but soon seemed to understand and turned his eyes back to her. His eyes lingered for a few seconds, like a snake sticking out its tongue and staring at its prey, and then his attention was called back by hispany.


    After Kate and Jimmy walked a few steps away, someone asked him, ¡°You know that one?¡±


    ¡°Pretty. Did you get it?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Shit. Don¡¯t mention it.¡± replied the man with hatred.


    Kate released her clenched fists and wiped her hands on the sides of her clothes. She couldn¡¯t get away from the feeling of intense difort. It was like touching a snake identally. She felt moist and sticky and disgusting.


    Jimmy looked down at her. ¡°Is he that guy?¡±


    Without the need for more words, they understood each other. She nodded.


    Jimmy saw her reaction just now. He patted her on the shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. He cannot do anything. You have me.¡±


    Her heart felt warm, and she was choked. She nodded heavily.


    Jimmy recalled while he walked. ¡°Yes, I remember him now. Right, he is from Nevada. Has a big wealthy daddy who makes dirty money.¡±

 Chapter 21: Another Nightmare

    On the way back, Kate stayed silent.


    A deliberately avoided history had been dug back up suddenly.


    After Kate had quit school, she worked at a canned food factory in her hometown. She did not make much money, but it was better than nothing.


    Thend in their area was thin, and the weather in those years was not good, so there was never arge yield. Even the farmers had very little attachment to theirnd. The young people always sought to go away to the big cities.


    Betty, who was one of the girls that had left for the coastal cities, seemed to make quite a lot of money. When Kate was still working her head off in order to get into a good senior high school, Betty went to Los Angeles with a few girls. When she came back for Christmas, she was dressed inpletely different clothing and won much admiration from her friends and their parents.


    Quite a lot of girls wanted to go back with Betty, but Betty only wanted Kate toe with her. The reason was simple. Kate was easy-going, pretty, and did great at school. In short, she made a goodpany and would never cause trouble with others.


    This was also the time when Kate¡¯s family needed money the most. Her sister and brother were both doing great in school. They had a good chance to get into Ivy League colleges, but their parents could not afford to send them all to college. Kate thought she was not as good as her siblings, so she talked with her parents, and after the New Year holidays, she followed Betty to Los Angeles.


    Kate was told that money was easily made in this city, but when she arrived, she found it wasn¡¯t exactly the same as what Betty described. Betty told her that she got a job at a five-star hotel. But in fact, it was the recreation center of a hotel,posed of a karaoke and spa center.


    Betty turned quite different when they returned to Los Angeles. When Kate saw thedies with revealing outfits walking along the recreation center, she felt full of remorse.


    However, Kate could not do anything about it. She reckoned she could spend some time here and make some money and then decide what to do next.


    Betty was not bad to her. She introduced her to coworkers at the karaoke. And she had asked the manager to take care of her, to avoid some of the more touchy guests. Kate was careful and tried her best to appear invisible. Hence nothing happened for quite a long while.


    However, even if you don¡¯t make trouble, trouble finds you.


    One day, a drunken guest dragged her aside and fumbled his ws on her body. Then he pulled her into his arms. She struggled, but the man didn¡¯t release her and kept touching her here and there, saying, ¡°Give me an amount. Don¡¯t be affected. How much do you want?¡±


    She struggled harder, but he was a burly guy and easily mounted on top of her. Hispanions were looking on like devils, and the other girls didn¡¯t dare to help Kate. They turned a deaf ear to Kate¡¯s cries for help.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The man was stimted by alcohol, and with the encouragement of hispanions, he kissed Kate¡¯s neck and reached his hand under her dress. In a panic, she grabbed a beer bottle and hit him on his forehead.


    It was a hard hit, and he started bleeding immediately.


    Then there were screams, and a sharp noise pierced the air.


    She was lucky. The siren was for police raids.


    Betty saidter that if it were not for that police raid, Kate would have been raped or even killed. In a ce like this, money equaled power. It was easy to erase a person from this world. Nobody would seriously take the case of a missing whore.


    That man was so drunk, and he got furious at the sight of his own blood. He would not let go of Kate¡¯s wrist. The policemen arrived, and one or two said they knew his father. Hispanions also testified that Kate had tried to seduce him.


    In that kind of ce, nobody would trust Kate¡¯s side of the story. And at the moment when she was being taken away with a few other girls for prostitution, she almost wanted to kill herself to prove her innocence.

 Chapter 22: Are You In Love Now?

    There was one young policeman who listened to her carefully. He mentioned the name of a consortium casually to the drunken man. He said that making trouble for his father at this time might not be worthwhile. The man¡¯s swollen arrogance assuaged, and then with the intervention of the manager and staff, it was agreed that the center would pay him for his injury.


    Kate quit that job decisively, and of course, the manager would not let her work there anymore. Betty suggested she go to the spa section, but Kate was furious at this suggestion. She also heard that the masseuses fought for guests and formed cliques. Betty must have wanted her to join her clique so that they could be stronger.


    Kate used Betty of impure intention to use her, and Betty criticized her for being ungrateful. They fought, and Kate moved out of the house. She paid Betty thest bit of rent she owed.


    Kate¡¯s strong and stubborn personality prevented her from going back home. So she rented a house for herself and found a job as a waitress in a restaurant. She worked for two months but received not a cent.


    Her boss was a member of a gang and found every excuse not to pay her. She ran out of money and became sick. Kate¡¯sndlord kept pressing her for rent and requested her to move out immediately. At the moment when she was sick in bed with no money to buy medicine and no strength to get food, as she thought she was going to die, Betty appeared again.


    Betty paid the rent for her and gave Kate another five hundred dors. She told her to go back home with the money or find another job when she got well if she preferred.


    ¡°I know you are a proud person. You would rather die thane to me for help. Believe it or not, I appreciate you.¡± Betty sighed. ¡°But one cannot survive alone in this world. And sometimes you also have to makepromises.¡±


    Kate frowned and coughed. ¡°Compromises with moral principles?¡±


    Betty sneered. ¡°How much are your moral principles worth? Can you use that to pay tuition bills for your sister and brother?¡±


    Kate could not refute herments. Betty walked to the door and said with her back to her, ¡°Anyway, I admire you. I hope you can stick to your principles. I wish to see you seed with your principles, really.¡±


    After Betty left, some restaurant delivered food to her room. The delivery guy told her someone paid them to deliver food to her for a week.


    Kate was deeply moved. She had resented Betty after the incident at the karaoke, but now she saw the other side of Betty.


    Kate knew that cruel reality had twisted her friend, but she still reserved part of her good nature. She knew Betty was trying to protect her better part. She was grateful to Betty for saving her life and promised herself that she would reward Betty one day.


    When Kate recovered from her illness, she was lucky to get the job she was doing now very quickly.


    When she recalled this tough period in Los Angeles, she found it didn¡¯t bring much pain to her heart now. This difficult time brought pain to her but also forced her to grow up. Now she was stronger and more sophisticated than she was three years ago.


    The car stopped, and she arrived at her house.


    The road light shone into the car, and the man who sat beside her had eyes like shining stars, which gave her a peaceful feeling. Jimmy tried tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That guy will not stay for long. Call me when something happens. I am standing by 24/7.¡±


    Kate thanked him heartily.


    ¡°You are wee.¡± Jimmy pointed at her phone. ¡°Give me a ring after you get into your room.¡±


    Kate got out of the car and walked in the beams of the headlights. She walked faster and faster but had a feeling of being protected, which she never had before. She ran up the stairs and rushed to her window to see if the car was still there. She dialed Jimmy¡¯s number, and when she pressed ¡°CALL,¡± her heart began to beat fast.


    The man downstairs seemed to acknowledge her stare. He pressed the horn twice before backing the car up and leaving.


    Kate didn¡¯t leave the window until the beams disappeared in the darkness of the night. Her roommate just got out of the bathroom and said, ¡°In a good mood? Are you in love now?¡±


    Kate blushed and muttered, ¡°No. It is not the case.¡± She went back to her room to change clothes.


    She put the past away, but the person she met couldn¡¯t. Their meeting aroused his hatred and shame from eating humble pie thest time they met.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 23: Cut The Crap

    Buck Wagner was a typical yboy with a nouveau riche dad. He was good for nothing, an expert in seeking fun. Eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring were his professional skills and expertise.


    This evening, he was lying in a round massage tub and smoking a cigar with his eyes narrowed. He lifted his hand to touch just above the forehead. There was a scar hidden below his hair, about two inches long. He had five stitches from that injury. When he thought of that time, his face blushed with fury, and his lower body was caught by desire at the same time. What a bitch!


    Buck reached his hand for his cordless phone. ¡°How is it going? Uh, be quick. Don¡¯t waste time. Don¡¯t get me in trouble.¡± He said on the phone.


    There was a new revolving restaurant on the top floor of the highest tower in Los Angeles. Jessie asked Tristan toe to try it. He happened to have something to talk to her about. They sat quietly in a rtively remote corner of the hall. Looking at Jessie, who was gracefully browsing the menu, he wondered how she would react when he told her.


    When they were waiting for their dishes, somebody passed by them and called her name.


    Jessie stood up and introduced him, ¡°This is my old ssmate Owen, Owen Jackson. He worked in the city government. He is the secretary to the mayor. And this is Tristan Fox, you know, President of Chasin Group.¡±


    Tristan looked at the man who was many years his junior. He was sleek, lean, looked like a college student just stepped out of school at first sight, but if one looked closer to the eyes behind his sses, one could see a pair of sophisticated, shrewd, and even hostile eyes that the old campaigners of political circles always had.


    ¡°Hi, Tristan. So nice to meet you. I heard about you from Jessica. It is great to meet you in person. It is my honor.¡± Owen¡¯s hostility retreated, and he spoke cordially. He shook hands with Tristan naturally, and they got acquainted quickly.


    ¡°Owen is really young and promising,¡± Tristan said.


    When the main course was served, Tristan¡¯s cell phone started to vibrate. He took a look at the caller and pressed off. It was from Ed. But soon, it called again. He frowned, made an excuse, and went out to make the call.


    After walking away, he asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    The one on the other side sounded worried. ¡°Boss, something happened to that girl.¡±


    ¡°Which girl?¡±


    ¡°The one who had a problem with her head, Kate.¡±


    ¡°Be more specific. What happened to her?¡±


    He seemed to hesitate a little. ¡°She might have been kidnapped.¡±


    Tristan was startled. Who else would kidnap her? ¡°Can you locate her?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She was on Townhall Street¡­ heading west. What a troublesome girl¡­¡±


    Tristan¡¯s eyes darkened, and he interrupted hisint. ¡°Don¡¯t lose track of her. I will be right there.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You areing, Boss? You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡±


    He hung up and got back to the table. He told Jessie, ¡°I am really sorry. I have something urgent to attend to. I have to go now. I will have Same to send you back home.¡±


    Jessie said considerately, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I drove here today.¡±


    ¡°Really sorry.¡± Tristan apologized again.


    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t worry. Just remember you owe me one and pay me back for the other day.¡± Jessie smiled.


    After Tristan left, Jessie looked at the exquisite food on the table, and the untouched cutlery and her smile faded away. A voice sounded in front of her. ¡°What a man Tristan is! Leave the prettiestdy in the city alone here?¡±


    Jessie raised her head to see Owenpressing his lips into a line and looking at her sarcastically.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a date with someone?¡± She asked icily.


    Owen shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Still stuck on the road.¡± And he sat down on Tristan¡¯s seat without being invited. ¡°Jessica. What do you see in this guy? You are not even lovers, and he treats you like this. What would he¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡­¡±


    ¡°I said, shut up.¡±


    Sam drove the car while Ed reported the route to him on his Bluetooth earphone.


    Tristan got the phone from him and asked Ed, ¡°Whom has she contactedtely? What did she say?¡±


    ¡°No one is special.¡± Ed prevaricates.


    Tristan got furious. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to keep an eye on her? You turned a deaf ear to what I said?¡±


    Ed knew he was wrong and argued weakly. ¡°I did keep an eye on her earlier, but nothing happened. I thought it had been months, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t take it seriously. She knew what we did. And if somebody took advantage of it, the consequences could be unimaginable.¡±


    Tristan threw back the phone to Sam and loosened his tie. He heard Sam muttered, ¡°We should have done it more thoroughlyst time.¡±


    Tristan gave him an angry stare and shouted, ¡°How thoroughly? Do you think it is like removing an ant? One stamp of the foot, and she disappears? Have you ever thought of consequences before you act? Drive faster.¡±


    Sam hushed and pressed harder on the elerator. They passed a few cars in a second.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 24: Rescue Her

    When the door was opened from the outside, Buck, who was lying on the couch, stood up excitedly. Two big men in ck dragged a person with a sack on her head into the room.


    He walked up close to the person, loosened the sack, and took it off. A fair and young face was revealed. The hair was messy, the mouth was taped, and a pair of big eyes widened at the sight of him and then turned furious.


    Buck was very satisfied with her reaction. ¡°Kate. Nice to see you again.¡±


    He walked around her in a circle and scanned her from head to foot. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to meet in this way? I have to thank you. Sincest time, my old man has equipped me with two bodyguards. It is much more convenient to get what I want now!¡±


    Kate stared at him as if she was going to shoot fire from her eyes. Looking at her tied hands, Buck clicked his tongue. ¡°So how are you going to get away from me this time, without the help of your cop boyfriend?¡± He lifted his hand to touch her cheek. ¡°You¡¯ve grown prettier after these years.¡±


    Kate turned her head to dodge Buck, but he moved his face closer to her neck and sniffed greedily.


    She bent her head harder to the opposite side, but with a ¡°Bang,¡± she was pped on the ear. She was hit so hard that she lost bnce and fell on the carpeted floor with a thud.


    Buck looked down at her and said gloatingly, ¡°This is for you hitting mest time. Will you fight back?¡± Heughed out loud.


    After heughed, he took up a ss of Wine from the table. Buck squatted down, shook the ss, and said, ¡°Wine for forey? We will have an impressive night.¡±


    He peeled on the tape off of Kate¡¯s mouth, and she cursed him immediately, ¡°Scum!¡± But she was pinched on the cheeks, and her mouth was forced to open. The cold Wine was poured into her mouth, and she coughed violently. The Wine flew out and dripped under her cor.


    Buck was pleased with this ugly situation. His desire was lit up when he saw the red liquid flowing on her fair and silky skin. He could not wait for one more second.


    He carried Kate to the inner room immediately. The two bodyguards saw this and retreated, closing the door from outside.


    Buck threw Kate on a huge bed. He untied her feet, took off her shoes, and then grabbed her satchel and threw it on the floor. Then he started to rip off her clothes, asking in an evil tone, ¡°Are you still a virgin? Or has your cop boyfriend been with you? Shit!¡±


    Kate twisted her body and cursed, ¡°Scum! Get away from me!¡±


    She was full of hatred. She was off the hook two years ago, and now this guy would get what he wanted? No, absolutely no.


    She made up her mind and struggled with all her energy. She was beaten a couple of times. The tape bound on her wrists became tighter with each movement.


    Kate had to kick violently with her free feet. And when Buck got close, she bit him on the forearm like a wolf biting the neck of amb and would not release him.


    Buck howled and beat her until she finally released his arm. Kate also fell down the bed during the fight. She hit the floor with a shriek of agony.


    It was even more horrible than the pig-headed to the ughterhouse. Buck raised his head to see her and was shocked by her paperwhite face. He just wanted to rape her, but if she died before¡­


    He asked in a panic, ¡°What is it?¡±


    As Buck began to approach, Kate snapped, ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡±


    She sounded different than before, her tone infused with more sorrow than fury. Buck stopped and thought that he had better ask somebody else toe to see her. If something happened, he needed to get away in time.


    Buck got up and went to get someone. As soon as he got out of the bedroom, he heard a sound from outside.


    Kate felt like her left arm was being cut off, and she swore from the pain. It was only after a long moment that she realized she might have a dislocated joint.


    She wanted to get up, but even the smallest movement brought acute pain, and darkness came over her eyes. She almost passed out. In a daze, Kate heard the noise outside and also a thud, but she didn¡¯t know what happened.


    Ed rushed into the bedroom. He was taken aback when he saw Kate on the floor. It was not until he saw her open her eyes that he resumed his breathing again. He asked, ¡°Are you OK?¡±


    Defying his expectations, she looked at him and warned him harshly, ¡°Don¡¯t get close!¡±


    He wanted tough but could not. He said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t want to touch you even if you wanted me to.¡± And after saying that, he ignored her and took out a knife to cut the tape on her wrist, and then carried her out.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Kate felt her arm hurt like hell. The hall was dead silent when he carried her out. And she heard him speaking to someone else. ¡°You take care of this. I will take her out first.¡±


    When she was carried to the door, she looked back and saw the scum and his two men squatting on the floor. Somebody stood nearby and pointed something at them. It was a ck thing, and she could not see very clearly, but she felt a chill down her spine. When the door was closed, she heard a scream of misery from inside.

 Chapter 25: Come Over

    Tristan was waiting in the car. He looked at his watch. Sam had gone up too. It should be no problem.


    Then he saw Ede out with a person in his arms. Tristan, who could keep a stiff upper lip in any case, felt his heart skip a beat. He pushed the car door open.


    Ed put the person in the back seat and told him, ¡°A little too ugly for my taste.¡±


    Indeed, it was horrifying. The person¡¯s face was as white as paper, and her left army out from her body in a strange direction. He asked, ¡°A dislocation?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    ¡°Go to the hospital,¡± Tristan ordered.


    Ed hesitated. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait for them?¡±


    ¡°What could happen to them? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ed sat up straight, started the engine, and turned the car around, but he heard a voice say from the back: ¡°Stop.¡±


    The car stopped. Tristan looked at the person who was curled up and shivered. He pushed back the sweaty hair on her face and said mildly, ¡°Kate. Hold it.¡±


    And then he turned her body to face him, supporting her left elbow in one hand and grabbed her shoulder with another hand. With a sudden push, he snapped the joint up with a sound, followed by a scream of pain. He pushed her shivering body into his arms and patted her back, saying, ¡°OK. It is OK now.¡±


    He felt her suppressed sobbing and said, ¡°Cry out if it hurts.¡±


    Ed looked on from the rearview mirror and was dumbfounded. The two people huddled together. She was sobbing silently, and he wasforting her in a low voice. The air was mixed with the sticky smell of blood. He felt he was redundant in this situation.


    Sam came down after he finished his business. He opened the car door and wanted to get in but was shocked at the scene. He turned to Ed, who shrugged his shoulders, showing that he was in the same awkward situation.


    As they were nning to get away, Tristan raised his head and asked, ¡°Where is the medical kit?¡±


    Ed got it from the trunk. And then they left.


    Kate tried to get out of his arms once she regained consciousness. She was still weak and couldn¡¯t quite raise herself up yet.


    Tristan continued holding her for a few seconds and then put his arms down. His eyes shed with slight disappointment.


    But his attention was caught by the half of Kate¡¯s face that was swollen and the ck on the corner of the eye. He frowned and opened the medical kit, found the swab, and dipped it in a disinfectant solution. He said to her, ¡°Come over.¡±


    She didn¡¯t react, and hence he pushed her face. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he said when he saw her trying to dodge.


    His tone was undeniable, and so Kate didn¡¯t move anymore. She knew this one was not much kinder than the previous one. To her surprise, he did the job very urately and proficiently. When he was applying the medicine to the corner of her mouth, he leaned closer. When she smelled the alcohol on his breath, she stopped breathing.


    After he finished, Tristan thought, what a small face, not much bigger than his palm. Her chin look sharper than before. The skin was thin and fine, which made the wounds and bruises more frightening and the abuser eviler.


    He put away the medical kit and asked after a pause, ¡°Do you have other wounds?¡±


    Kate paused and then shook her head hastily.


    And seeing him staring at her with suspicion, she added, ¡°Really. No other wounds.¡±


    Tristan felt relieved and called Ed toe back and then ordered him to go to the hospital.


    Kate gave him a nce and wondered what they needed at the hospital since he had already treated her.


    He seemed to read her mind and said casually, ¡°They can do it more professionally.¡± But then he thought of the effort he took just now and tried to find an exnation for it. ¡°Your arm was dislocated. They will give you some disinfectant.¡±


    The car started, and they drove to the hospital. Ed then realized that he turned the car too fast earlier and caused pain to the idiot girl. The boss thus asked him to stop and did the doctor¡¯s job himself¡­ So he drove carefully and slowly this time.


    It was very quiet inside the car. Only the sound of the engine was heard.


    Kate had experienced torture both physically and mentally and now was exhausted. She was not out of danger yet, but her strained nerves rxed a little bit. When she was going to fall asleep, she heard the man beside her asked, ¡°How did you offend them?¡±


    She woke up immediately and saw his eyes, which were as calm, cold, and unavoidable as usual. She told the story roughly and omitted the part Jimmy was involved in. The story did not sound very convincing, but she was too tired to bother with it. Whatever, believe it or not.


    Tristan heard this and muttered, ¡°A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit¡­¡± but he stopped in the middle. He realized that these words were not appropriate because the experience she had had was their doing. But he looked at her with contempt for her stupidity anyway.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Kate didn¡¯t notice his expression. She also wondered why she was always the victim of kidnapping. Even the man behind the scenes of her first kidnapping despised his victim. She said sulkily, ¡°Bad luck.¡±


    It was bad luck, indeed.


    Since Kate saw that man in the restaurant, she had been very careful. But after a week without any incidents, she rxed a little. She went to the college that evening and tragedy had struck.


    After they got to the hospital, the doctor examined Kate and prescribed medicine. With Tristan¡¯s suggestion, she stayed in the hospital for the night. Sam returned the satchel that had been left at Buck¡¯s ce.


    Kate called her roommate and told her she would not be back at their apartment tonight. When the drugs took effect, she fell asleep, under the surveince of Tristan¡¯s goons.


    Seeing her fall asleep, Tristan left. He asked Ed to arrange for someone to stay and watch her.


    After he got into the car, he asked, ¡°What did you do with that guy?¡±


    ¡°Beat him up. Broke his arms.¡± Sam replied calmly.


    Tristan snorted. ¡°A light punishment for him.¡±


    Ed chuckled. ¡°Right. We should castrate that guy.¡±


    Sam squinted at him. ¡°Will you go?¡± He turned to his boss. ¡°Or I should ask someone to repair him again?¡±


    ¡°No. It is enough.¡±


    After a pause, Tristan said, ¡°Call his daddy. Tell him to watch over his baby son and make sure he doesn¡¯t step into Los Angeles again, or he will disappear.¡±


    Ed said seriously, ¡°We didn¡¯t mention your name today. It is better to keep it low.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Ed scanned the rearview mirror and found his boss was hostile today. He felt strange and thought he should consult Chapman, the old fox when he got back. He would probably know what was up with their boss.

 Chapter 26: Who Brought You Here?

    This whole kidnapping ordeal had been strange, and the way it ended was even more strange. Kate didn¡¯t take much time to think about this because her brother was about to graduate high school and go to college.


    She was excited to wait to see which college would admit him. For many years, she had taken care of her brother as a parent, and she felt the same anxiety as a parent would.


    At the end of March, her brother Max called. He sounded depressed. ¡°Kate, I was not admitted to the Ivy League universities I applied to.¡± Before Kate could say something tofort him, he announced excitedly, ¡°I wille to see you.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°I am admitted by LACC. I am lucky.¡±


    Max added, ¡°I am headed to LA now. I will get settled before school starts and also find a job to make some money.¡±


    Her brother was full of expectations. Kate was half delighted and half worried.


    She hung up the phone and stayed silent for a long time. So many things happened in just half a year. And now she could not leave this city.


    Hopefully, all her misfortunes were truly over with.


    However, a face was still deeply impressive in her mind; an angr face with deep-set eyes, prominent cheekbones, tightly pressed lips, and a strong chin, with the faint smell of alcohol¡­


    Kate shook her head and came back to her senses. She was standing in the wine aisle of the grocery store. She picked one bottle of wine randomly and smelled it, but it was not the smell she was looking for.


    She could not help recalling the moment she spent in his arms. She was hurting like hell, but the man had pushed her arm back into her shoulder socket in the blink of an eye. It had been such a surreal experience.


    It was unimaginable to her indeed. She had been huddled with a man who tried to drown her just months ago. But at that moment, his arms and chest formed a castle that was safe¡­


    Kate shook her head again to stop these thoughts. Anything rted to that guy was unlucky, painful, miserable, and disastrous.


    And then Kate recalled another face: youthful, sunny, hopeful, and pleasant. She thought of his clear and bright voice. He reminded her of sunshine, the blue ocean, and everything nice.


    After meeting Jimmy, he became one more reason for her to stay in this city.


    However, the urgent affair was with her brother. She needed to solve the amodation problems that her brother was facing immediately.


    This problem was solved easily despite her expectations. John heard that Kate wanted to rent a new house, patted his chest, and said he would take care of it for her. The very next day, he drove a pickup to her house and moved all her belongings to a new ce.


    It was in a residential area that was quite nice. It was an apartment with two bedrooms. John said it had belonged to one of his rtives who had moved to another city and didn¡¯t care how much it was rented for, as long as the house was maintained in good status.


    Kate was grateful. When she ran to the balcony, John and Sarah exchanged a look of tacit understanding. Winning a lottery was one in a million, but being a grateful person and getting repaid when you needed it was more than eptable.


    One weekter, Kate saw Max at the railway station.


    After dinner, John drove them to the seaside. It was the first time Max saw the sea. It was mysterious and attractive.


    On the way back to the house, Max boasted, ¡°It is so beautiful here. When I get rich, I will buy a house and bring our parents to live here.¡± And then he said enviously, ¡°If only I could buy a house by the sea!¡±


    Indeed, they had walked on the beach just now and saw some elite mansions by the seaside, which looked like movie sets. Max marveled that the people who lived there must be very happy.


    Kate thought differently. She only wished that she could bring her parents to stay here and do some sightseeing for a few days. She didn¡¯t dream of living in that kind of house. One should be realistic, she thought.


    Life was not to be nned. It was full of possibilities, good ones, bad ones, and many more that couldn¡¯t be ssified.


    The project of the World Trade Center was personally managed by Tristan. He majored in architecture in college and understood the details of the project. It was an important project for his enterprise, and it was also his wish to build a time-testedndmark building for the city.


    For this project, his top priority, Tristan put off other meetings and social engagements. He had discussions with the project managers till midnight. This evening he came back earlier.


    As soon as he stepped into his apartment, he detected an unusual scent. He looked down and found a pair of ck heels. He frowned and changed into slippers. He walked through the sitting room to his bedroom. When he opened the door, he knitted his brows tighter.


    A half-naked body was lying on the bed. The sleek brown hair framed a very young face. She was wearing half clear ck silk lingerie, and her creamy skin was looming.


    An irresistible air of youth was spreading through the apartment. Seeing him approach, the girl paused a second and then got off the bed immediately and walked to him, still barefoot. She said respectfully, ¡°Hi. You are back.¡±


    He replied expressionlessly, ¡°Who brought you here?¡±


    The girl seemed startled and stammered, ¡°Ed, Ed took me here.¡±


    Just as Tristan had suspected, he called Ed and asked, ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    Ed chuckled awkwardly on the other side of the line. ¡°Boss, it is a gift from the team. She is definitely clean. Hope you like her.¡±


    He sneered, ¡°Since when have you be a pimp?¡±


    ¡°You have been working too hardtely. We think it is good for your health.¡±


    Tristan bit his lips and hung up the phone. When he looked back, the girl was looking at him. Dark shining eyes with the corners lifted up a little, a palm-sized face, a pointy chin, she looked familiar to him. He paused and then walked to the couch, threw off his coat, and sat down.

 Chapter 27: It Is Not Possible

    The girl seemed to get the message and followed him to the couch. She knelt down on the carpet beside him. She looked up to his face to see his reaction. Her eyes were like two clear ponds without ripples, faintly tantalizing.


    Tristan pulled his tie to loosen it and asked impassively, ¡°What can you do?¡±


    The girl blushed and asked softly, ¡°What do you like?¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t reply but just looked at her and gave no hint.


    The long silence made the air solid, and the tension increased. The girl sighed lightly and reached her hand to his belt but didn¡¯t loosen it. Her hand moved down across the smooth fabric.


    She had very nice hands. They were suitable for ying the piano. Of course, they were suitable for doing what she was doing now too.


    When her hand moved to one ce, it covered and massaged softly. At the same time, she raised her head. Her nervous eyes now rxed and had some expectations, like the eyes of a cat, animated and mysterious.


    Tristan felt his vision get blurry, and the girl¡¯s face seemed to coincide with another one. He trembled a little, but the feeling soon disappeared. He looked closer and felt the same cat-like temptation. He heard himself asking, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The girl opened her tender lips and said softly, ¡°Bonnie.¡± And she reced her hand with her lips and kissed it.


    Max was a doer. The next day he started to look for a job online. With a letter of college admission and his persuasive introduction, he got a part-time job as an assistant teacher in a school.


    After one week¡¯s work, he got paid and used the money to buy a royal blue colored dress for Kate in the shopping mall close to the school he worked at. Kate was touched to get this ¡°expensive¡± gift, but she could not help ming him for being extravagant.


    The hard-earned money turned into an impractical dress. But Max didn¡¯t think much of it. He thought if he liked, he could take one more job or tutor some high school students on the side. But Max felt that his sister should wear nicer clothes at her age.


    Jimmy called Kate and asked about her brother. He wanted to have dinner with them but then had to cancel their appointments twice for emergency tasks. It was not until school started and Max went to college that they finally could meet.


    A few months had passed since Kate hadst seen him. Jimmy had changed quite a lot. His face was tanned, and his eyes seemed sharper as if he could identify bad guys from a crowd with just a scan of his eyes.


    Max was curious about his new profession and asked him a lot of questions. Jimmy replied to him with patience and added a couple of jokes his team made when handling the cases. Seeing him talking in high spirits,ughing heartily, Kate thought it was so good and that he was still the same with no difference.


    When Jimmy went out to take a call during their dinner, Max said to his sister, ¡°Jimmy is so much better than John. I agree 100% if he wants to be my brother-inw.¡±


    Kate gave a nce to the direction of the door and chastised him in a low voice. ¡°What did you say! John has a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Then how about Jimmy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°That is good then. You have a chance.¡± Max said.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Kate looked depressed. ¡°It is not possible.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Max knew his sister and stopped smiling. ¡°Sister, don¡¯t belittle yourself. Anyone who gets you will see the good in you.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t say anything. She thought her brother was young and full of dreams.


    Jimmy came back after the call to see siblings exchanging a strange expression. He asked amusedly, ¡°What are you talking about? You look mysterious.¡±


    Max said, ¡°Jimmy, can I ask you a question. Do you have¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his words, Kate gave a hard stamp on his foot under the table, and thetter half of the sentence was reced by an ¡°ouch.¡± Jimmy was holding a fork in the air and asked, ¡°Have what?¡±


    Max rolled his eyes to Kate and continued, ¡°¡­have ever killed a person?¡±


    Jimmy was startled but soon understood and said, ¡°Not so far, but probably could in the future. Who can tell? Being a criminal police, there is always a possibility for that.¡±


    Kate showed concern, ¡°Isn¡¯t your job very dangerous?¡±


    Jimmy smiled lightly and said, ¡°I think it is OK. That is decided by the property of the job. I had prepared for this since the day when I decided to be a criminal police.¡±


    Max looked to his sister, and she gave him a warning stare, so he had to bend down and attend to his food.


    Kate was in a trance for a few seconds. She seemed to see a scene of a gangster film and the face in front of her was among the shootouts and fights¡­ the food on the table became tasteless.


    After dinner, Jimmy sent Max back to school and then sent Kate to her house. John said his rtive had no n toe back to this city in the near future and didn¡¯t need the house for the time being.


    It was good to have someone to take care of the house. And as his rtive was rich, giving him rent would be an insult. So Kate kept staying in that house after Jimmy moved to his school dorm.


    Kate had not seen Jimmy for a long time and had quite a lot to say to him, but when they were alone in the car, she felt the words just jammed in her throat like the traffic on the road.


    The ticking of rain broke the silence. Looking at the swaying windshield wiper, Kate wished the rain could be harder, and the road could be longer. But the longest road would end somewhere, let alone the road to her house was not long at all.


    Jimmy didn¡¯t have an umbre in his car, and so he pulled a uniform coat from the back seat and covered her head, ¡°Cover with this, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    Kate was wearing the sleeveless dress her brother brought for her, and her arms were a little chilly. She wanted to decline with thanks, but Jimmy made fun of her that the new dress was expensive and could not be stained. His uniform had to roll on the dirt very often anyway.


    So Kate had to ept it.


    When they said goodbye, she hesitated a second and said, ¡°Be safe.¡±


    Jimmy smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. My grandma said she asked the psychic when I was a child and the psychic said I could always fall on my legs. Thus my mother agreed I could be the police.¡±


    He grinned at Kate, and his eyes sparkled with pride. Maybe he was just making jokes to ease Kate, but it worked.

 Chapter 28: Something Happens To Her Brother

    Jimmy was busy again with his job. A few dayster, when Kate called him and wanted to return his uniform, he said he was out of town and didn¡¯t need it, for now, to just keep it. He didn¡¯t have a very good signal and hung up soon.


    Kate folded Jimmy¡¯s uniform and put it into a paper bag, but she changed her mind and took it out, smoothed the fold mark, and hung it in the wardrobe among her colorful summer clothes. It was much longer and stood there like a pine among flowers. The uniform was like its owner, straight and spirited.


    She thought of him asking her jokingly if she liked him in uniform.


    Kate said yes in a low voice to herself.


    Time flew, and the summer was over in the blink of an eye.


    In the meantime, Jimmy and his teammates cracked down a major case and were awarded by the highest authority. He boasted himself that he was a rising star with promising prospects in the criminal police department.


    John and Sarah broke up because Sarah¡¯s first love came back for her. So this reliable ¡°affordable ss man¡± was knocked out of the game by a worthless punk. John thus drew the conclusion all women were masochistic.


    Max had gotten used to his college life. In fact, he had more efficiency than the college required. Besides his work at school, he squeezed his time to take part-time jobs. Kate guessed that these environments might stimte him.


    Max was from a small ce with a poor family, but his ssmates mostly came from much wealthier families, and some were children of senior officials or CEOs or even billionaires.


    Besides, the financial pressure from their family wasn¡¯t much lighter than before their father got sick.


    Half a month earlier, their mother had fallen on the street on a rainy day while running some errands. She broke her shank and spent more than two thousand dors in the hospital and on medicine.


    Their father was getting better, but he had to take very expensive prescription medication all the time. When Kate wired money to her parentsst week, Max also gave her one thousand dors to send. She felt upset, but Max said he should help the family too, as he was now a grown man.


    Kate was upset, but not just because Max had to share the burden of the family. She also had the indistinct worry that Max was too smart and too sensitive, and his keen focus on money might affect his schoolwork.


    And she was right. Things were developing exactly the way she had feared.


    One monthter, when it happened to be Columbus Day, she received a call from Max¡¯s ssmate. ¡°Kate, something happened to Max.¡±


    It was a bolt from the blue to Kate, and she took a long moment to resume calmness so that she could listen to his ssmate tell the story.


    It turned out there was a senior student in Max¡¯s department who was quite a genius in business. Max became a big fan of him and started to work with him. This senior student got a project of installing digital advertising screens in public ces like canteens on the campus.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    So they promoted their business in other universities and got intopetition with other groups of people who were doing the same kind of business. They had some conflict, and it escted from verbal battle to physical fights. Seven people ambushed Max and two of his teammates on their way back to school.


    And in the fight, Max hurt one of them quite seriously. He was sent to the hospital and was told he had an injury on his brain. The guy was still in aa, and even if he woke up, he might be paralyzed all his life, the doctor said.


    Max and his ssmates freaked out. The other side wanted to sue them or require a whopping fee for medical treatment and living expenses. Now they asked for two hundred thousand dors.


    Two hundred thousand dors, this astronomical figure for her again. Kate felt her head was going to explore.


    Max¡¯s ssmate said that Max was now in their hands, and they let him and another ssmate came out to collect the money. They were students and didn¡¯t have much money, and they had begged everyone they could and only collected two thousand dors so far.


    They were only given one week¡¯s time to get the money ready. And the other ssmate had run back home because of the great pressure.

 Chapter 29: Made Trouble

    Kate asked if they could ask the school to help mediate or call the police. It might be possible that they were ckmailing them.


    Max¡¯s ssmate said no because if the school knew that, they would be expelled because their school had very strict discipline policies, and the guys looked to have a gangster background and they threatened that if they called the police, then they would cut Max¡¯s fingers off.


    Kate was shocked, but sheposed herself and asked Max¡¯s ssmate to take her to meet them.


    That afternoon, they met them in a restaurant outside the hospital.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    They had three people, outnumbering Kate and Max¡¯s ssmates by one person. However, they carried a much stronger air.


    It wasn¡¯t time for meals, and there weren¡¯t any other guests except them. And the waitresses seemed intimidated by these three people and stayed away.


    The leading guy was in his thirties and was lean, with a buzz-cut. He was a sharp contrast to the other two guysing with him. They were big and muscr, with sophisticated and vicious eyes.


    Kate took a deep breath after sitting down. ¡°I want to see my brother.¡±


    The manughed. ¡°He is OK. We will take good care of him. As long as you bring the money, I will let you see him. I will let him go. He is intact. No one touched a hair on him.¡±


    Kate had to go for less. ¡°Then can I call him? I need to hear it from him. How do I know if you are telling the truth?¡±


    The man nodded at his guy. And one of them dialed a number and gave it to Kate. Kate said, ¡°Hello.¡± And she heard her brother¡¯s voice. ¡°Kate.¡±


    She suppressed her sorrow and said, ¡°Max, it is me. How are you?¡±


    Max was choked. ¡°Kate, I am sorry. I made trouble.¡±


    ¡°OK. Let me ask you first. Did you hurt that person?¡± Kate looked at the man when she spoke, and he shrugged at her. Silence on the other side of the phone, and then he said with remorse, ¡°I was trying to protect myself, and I picked up a stone¡­I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±


    Kate closed her eyes. So they could not get rid of it this time. Max continued, ¡°Kate, don¡¯t agree with them. If they want my finger, let them have it. I didn¡¯t kill anyone. They cannot kill me.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Kate paused a little and then tried to negotiate. ¡°Two hundred thousand isn¡¯t a small figure for people like us. You see our conditions. We could never raise the number.¡±


    The man grinned. ¡°Miss White, we are not ckmailing you. You have seen it yourself. My bro has been in the ICU for three days. How much does it cost each day, do you know? We offered two hundred thousand dors because you are some poor students. For others, this could not be settled for less than 3-5 hundred thousand dors.¡±


    Kate and Max¡¯s ssmate went to the hospital earlier that day and saw that person lying in ICU with the oxygen mask on his face. They did meet the attendant doctor, who told them pretty much the same about the conditions of the patient as they heard from these guys.


    Kate took another deep breath and smiled, ¡°You have seen what kind of people we are. It is not that we don¡¯t want to pay. My brother is in your hand. You do as you like.¡±


    When she said this, she detected Max¡¯s ssmate shivering and gave her a quick astonished nce.


    After the three gangsters left, Kate sat still in the chair until she heard Max¡¯s ssmate calling her worriedly. ¡°Kate?¡±


    She raised her head, and her eyes were reddened.


    That boy pushed a cup of hot tea to her face and said, ¡°You have a cup of tea, Kate?¡±


    Kate took it mechanically and thanked him. She took a sip, and the hot liquid came through her throat to her stomach, and she warmed up a little.


    Seeing her drinking the tea in silence, Max¡¯s ssmate said to her, ¡°We are sorry for the trouble.¡±


    But then he cheered up a little. ¡°We achieved something today anyway. Now that the number came down to one hundred thousand, it is much easier. I will see if I can get something from my family¡­¡±


    Her resolution in abandoning her brother worked, and they had reduced the offer by half. The deadline was not changed. Five days, money for my brother. Kate knew clearly, one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand made no difference to her. She couldn¡¯t raise these amounts anyway.

 Chapter 30: Are You A Virgin?

    After they got out of the restaurant, Kate refused thanks to Max¡¯s ssmate n¡¯s offer of sending her home. She still could hold up, and she knew how to get home.


    She thought of her grandma¡¯s pet words. ¡°You won¡¯t miss a blessing, and you cannot avoid misfortune.¡± If she could not avoid it, she had to confront it.


    Kate was exhausted. Her courage faded away as soon as the rivals and allies were gone. She felt lonely too, and she wished she had someone to talk to. She took out her cell phone from her bag, but with thest rm, it cked out and ran out of power.


    It was good timing.


    She saw a telephone booth and stepped into it. She hesitated a little before dialing, but she thought of what he said, ¡°Call me anytime you want.¡± She bit her lips and dialed the number she already memorized so deeply.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    It went through, and a youngdy answered calmly, ¡°Who is that?¡±


    Kate was surprised. ¡°Is this Jimmy¡¯s cell phone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Who is that?¡±


    ¡°I am his friend.¡±


    ¡°Jimmy is taking a shower. Could you call again in a few minutes?¡± The woman said.


    ¡°OK. Thank you.¡±


    The phone was hung up, and Kate still could hear her own hollow voice echoing in the confined space of the telephone booth. She stood there, motionlessly for a while, and then walked out.


    She didn¡¯t have a strong reaction to this. She just said inside, ¡°Kate, you are so stupid.¡±


    The sun was setting, and the street got busier. Cars were rushing to their destination. The passersby were also walking hurriedly somewhere. She would be busy usually, either at the supermarket sorting out the merchandise or rushing home.


    But today, Kate was wandering in the streets. She passed by a bridge and looked down from the rail. The water was clear, and she could see fish swimming gracefully in the water. She felt jealous of the fishes. Why did she have so many troubles?


    There was a digital advertising screen on one of the pirs of the bridge. This was what Max¡¯s project was doing, she thought. She stopped to watch themercials. ¡°Crown Hotel, Public Rtions Department¡­If you are 20-30 years old, pretty and amiable, interested in socializing¡­monthly sry 30-50 thousand dors¡­with incentive¡­please contact us at 400¡­¡±


    She had experience working in the hotel earlier, and she knew the property of this kind of job. She closed her eyes and walked away.


    The man she met at the restaurant earlier said to her, ¡°It is not easy for men to make money, but it is not so difficult for pretty women¡­¡± His eyes scanned her face and seemed to imply to her that she could easily raise the money.


    Maybe this was her fate? Kate queried herself.


    How hard was it to make the decision? Everything pushed her to this way though she had escaped a couple of times.


    The next morning, she was standing in the magnificent lobby of the hotel. Her heart was beating fast, and she was desperate. She was preparing herself for the interview.


    She was led to an office upstairs. A pretty andpetent woman looked at her from behind a grand desk. She scanned her from head to feet and signaled her to sit down and came to the point when she opened her mouth. ¡°Are you a virgin?¡±


    Kate nodded.


    The woman introduced herself as the manager of the department, and then she told her the job description and reimbursement for the job. She scratched something on a paper and asked her to have an overall medical checkup first; after getting the checkup result, she then came back to her for signing the contract; they would arrange for her to work after some image design, etc.


    Kate received the paper from her and said, ¡°I have a request. I need to have an advance payment of one hundred thousand dors.¡±


    The woman paused for a moment and smiled, ¡°This could be eptable. Almost everyone who came here needs money urgently.¡± She scanned Kate¡¯s face again. ¡°It depends on if you are worthy of it.¡±


    Three dayster, Kate appeared in the hotel for the third time.

 Chapter 31: Why Was It Him?

    Kate got her medical checkup report the day before and arranged to go to the beauty parlor for a makeover. She received reform on skin, hair, eyebrows, manicure, and even the most private part was not neglected.


    The reform was thorough, but they still tried to preserve her natural beauty. When she was lying on the bed, allowing herself to be treated as they liked, she thought if only she could be more stupid and shameless, then she would not feel hurt and shed tears.


    When Kate sat in the dressing room and let them do her makeup, she had a sense of being merchandise. She was no different from the shampoo, tissue paper, or any other item on the shelves in the supermarket. They were all something to be used.


    When the makeup artist signaled her to look in the mirror, she was taken aback. The face in the mirror was uncanny: hers but also not hers.


    Her face outline was more outstanding and vivid; her skin had a naturally rosyplexion; there was no sign of artificial packing. However, the beautiful packaging was just to sell at a better price.


    The makeup artist stood aside and appreciated his work. He appraised, ¡°You have great potential. Your face is suitable for many images. Today we go with the natural style. Perhaps we can try other styles on other days.¡±


    Kateughed bitterly inside. The other days¡­


    After waiting in the lounge for quite a long time, somebody came and gave her a room card.


    She walked in the carpeted corridor, and her heels made a dull noise. She was so depressed. The row of small lights on the ceiling gave dazzling light, and she thought she had finallye to this point, and there was no way to escape anymore.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She got to the room she was sent to. She raised her head and saw the number 1808.


    She thought of Betty. If she knew what she was doing now, would she exhale a cloud of smoke andugh? Or she would ask her where your principles are?


    Kate waved away her thoughts. Principles, the word had already left her world.


    She took a deep breath, and the door card dropped when she was going to open the door. A waiter passed and seemed to see through what she was. She felt ashamed and opened the door and got in hastily.


    It was spacious and luxurious inside. It was like another world. The gorgeous floral carpet extended to the entire room, and the furniture was a mixture of modern and European Pce style. However, there was a man standing facing the French window. He was in ck, tall, and aloof. His back itself was foreboding. Kate got the intention to run away.


    When he turned to her, it was like being struck by lightning. The second she came to her senses, she turned and ran to the door. She pressed the lock handle violently, but the door would not open. She turned back in puzzlement and saw him holding a remote in his hand. Did he lock the door?


    She was in a panic. Why was it him? How?


    The luxurious room was now like a huge cage. The air became solid and oppressed her from all sides. She had difficulty breathing.


    The man was approaching while he asked calmly, ¡°Why are you running?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply. He raised the corners of his eyebrows. ¡°Not satisfied with the guest?¡±


    The word ¡°guest¡± hit Kate¡¯s eardrums like a heavy hammer. She couldn¡¯t make a sound. She was full of sorrow and remorse, for she sought the insult herself.


    The man gave her a nce for a few seconds andmented, ¡°Not bad.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what he meant.


    Then he lifted his hand, and when his fingertips touched Kate¡¯s cheek, she dodged aside instinctively. But his fingers still touched her and ran down along the fair and smooth skin.


    Kate could not endure this slow execution-like torment anymore, and she opened her mouth ¡°Mister¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Fox,¡± she said with great difficulty, ¡°Let me go, please.¡±


    Tristanughed lightly and said slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t know that now the escort could pick guests. Which door do you want to knock then? The next one?¡±


    His fingertips remained on her cor bone and rubbed it. He felt her suppressed trembling and said, ¡°You scare me?¡±


    Kate looked bravely into his eyes and dered, ¡°I quit.¡±

 Chapter 32: She Looks Different

    Kate was totally different from how she looked before. She had always wrapped herself with those wrinkled, baggy clothes, and her jagged bangs almost covered half of her face.


    Today her new hairstyle exposed her smooth forehead; her shining brown eyes were bright and spirited and widened because of fear; her lips were glossy and full as she applied lipstick; the slightly lifted mouth corners made her face more delicate.


    And the new outfits revealed her true body shape. The pearl color strapless dress showed her round shoulders and creamy arms. The tight top of the dress formed the shape of her full breasts.


    The first time he saw her, she was like a kid to him, but the kid was a grownup today, young but not na?ve, sexy but not lustful.


    After he assessed her in his mind secretly, he looked at the watch on his wrist and said, ¡°But I have spared the time, especially for you.¡±


    He was pleased to find his words caused some terror in her eyes. He changed his idea, ¡°Need to do one thing first.¡±


    And then he pressed the remote and put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her out.


    Kate was puzzled. Why did he need to drag her with him if he had something to do? Would it be something rted to her? And then she pondered the possibility of running away from him.


    Tristan seemed to read her mind and grabbed her hand tightly to cut off her attempts. He took long steps, and she had to half-run to keep up with him on the heels she was unustomed to.


    When they got downstairs, his car was parked near the gate. Ed came down the open the car door, and he looked surprised to see Kate. Tristan pushed her into the car and then got in after her.


    As soon as the car door mmed, the car moved on smoothly and blended into the traffic flow.


    Kate was worried, and she asked uneasily, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    Tristan gave her a nce and threw her the words, ¡°To solve some physiological need.¡±


    Her face turned even paler.


    In a short time, the car stopped, and Tristan dragged her out. Ed drove the car away. It was until now that she found there was another ck car followed the car they sat in.


    And she turned back to see another hotel. Her heart jumped to her throat again.


    Fortunately, they went upstairs to a restaurant and sat in a privatepartment. Tristan started to order food casually.


    He found Kate was shivering, so he asked the waitress to adjust the temperature higher. After the waitress was gone, he turned on the TV with the remote and watched. The sound of TV eased the scary air a little bit.


    However, it was aw program, and the case was about a high school girl student on a first date with her Inte boyfriend, who she had never seen before. She was taken to a hotel, drugged and raped by multiple men, and died of excessive hemorrhage from struggling and fighting.


    The program made Kate scared and also awkward as it reflected her current situation. She cast a nce at the person who sat beside her secretly and happened to see he turned to look at her. She turned back to the TV hurriedly and embarrassedly.


    And then the host and thew experts had a long discussion, and the words rape, seduction, gang-rape kepting out. She was on pins and needles, and the temperature on her face rose up degree by degree.


    She wished that person could switch to another channel, but the remote was by his hand, and he seemed to be enjoying the program¡­ She cursed him morbidly in her heart.


    The program finally ended, and it took Kate quite a while to pacify herself a little and resume her normal temperature. And then she asked carefully, ¡°Why was it you in that room?¡±


    Tristan turned to her and asked in a low voice instead, ¡°What answer do you wish to hear?¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart missed a beat. She didn¡¯t know.


    He drew back his look and said lightly, ¡°That hotel we acquired itst month.¡±


    Was the hotel theirs? It made sense then. So they knew it when she came for an interview three days ago? s, she sought the insult herself.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 33: Let鈥檚 Talk Over The Food

    At the same time, Max was tossing and turning on a narrow bed in a basement. The only light was an old-style fluorescent tube, which gave out eerie white light, apanied by the electric current¡¯s hissing.


    Among the graffiti on the mottled wall, one could identify some bloodstains. And at the lowest part along the floor, there were four lines scratched by fingernails.


    It was the fourth day today.


    The door opened, and a teenager with hair dyed in various colors walked in. He scanned the dish on the floor and said, ¡°Going on hunger strike, huh?¡± And then he looked to the man on the bed and made sure he was still breathing, he retreated and mmed the door from outside.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Max sighed. He would like to die to save the trouble for his sister. What would Kate do to help him? He didn¡¯t dare to imagine.


    In the cruel reality, he really experienced the feeling of being feeble. In front of money and violence, everything was useless.


    There was some noise outside, and the door was opened again. ¡°Get up, college student!¡±


    It was not colorful hair this time. Max turned his head to see it was the head. He saw him the first day he came, a vicious guy. And beside him, there was another guy with curly hair. He had a cigarette between his lips and looked at Max with a faint smile.


    The head waved at Max and said, ¡°You can go now.¡±


    Max sat up straight and put on his shoes, and rushed to the door. ¡°Who are you? Where is my sister?¡±


    Curly-hair took out the cigarette and saidzily, ¡°You will see herter.¡± He then scanned him and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to wash your face? You will scare her with this face.¡±


    Max was burning with anxiety, but he followed Curly-hair¡¯s instructions and took a shower in the bathroom, and brushed his teeth. Interestingly, Curly-hair produced a new suit for him- a branded one, but he put on his own wrinkled and stinky clothes and came out.


    When Max got downstairs, he was in time to witness Curly-hair open the big envelope passed to him by his guy and pull out the stacks of cash and throw it on the coffee table. ¡°They are all here. One hundred thousand. That is it.¡±


    The head pushed back the envelope to Curly-hair on the table and said, ¡°Ed, you are looking down on us. We cannot take your money.¡±


    Curly-hair waved his hand. ¡°Just take them. Isn¡¯t your guy still lying in the ICU? If he couldn¡¯t make it, don¡¯t forget to call me. I will pick a fine headstone for him.¡±


    The guy chuckled awkwardly. ¡°You are joking, Ed. He doesn¡¯t dare to die without your order.¡±


    Curly-hair wasted no more time with him and rose up, signaling Max to follow. ¡°Let us go, son.¡±


    When the car started, Max could see from the rearview mirror the guys were still standing behind, waving the hands.


    Max drew his eyes to curly-hair and said, ¡°Where is my sister?¡±


    Curly-hair exhaled the smoke and said, ¡°You are the student of LACC?¡±


    Max gave an almost inaudible yes.


    ¡°Do you know about Cherry Ball?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°My girlfriend. She is a student at your school. Sophomore, Finance Department.¡± Curly-hair exhaled the smoke and added, ¡°Doing good at school but better at shopping.¡±


    Max saw it was not possible to learn anything about his sister from this guy, so he turned his head to the window.


    Edughed. ¡°Blockhead like your sister.¡±


    Heard him mention his sister, Max turned back to him again. Ed shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Your sister is still in one piece. Not hairless. We are going to see her. See it yourself.¡±


    But he added viciously inside, at most a piece of skinless down there.


    In the privatepartment of the restaurant, the food was served, and dishes covered almost all the big tables.


    Kate felt her body be numb after the long hours of sitting. That man was now watching finance programs leisurely. She didn¡¯t know what was going on with all this today.


    Suddenly the door was open, and she raised her face from her meditation and saw Max at the door. She jumped up with surprise and joy and Max also rushed to her with reddened eyes and cried out ¡°Kate-¡±


    Kate hugged him and could not say a word. She released him and looked close to his face, touched his face and examined him, and asked quickly, ¡°Did they beat you?¡±


    Max shook his head.


    Ed coughed to interrupt them. ¡°Hey. I say, sister and brother got reunited. Don¡¯t forget to thank the person who helped you.¡±


    Kate turned back and looked at him and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Edughed, and his eyes signaled the man aside. ¡°You thanked the wrong person!¡±


    Kate turned again and said clearly, ¡°Mr. Fox, thank you.¡±


    Her tone was polite and detached. Until now, Max found the man imposing, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling alert to him.


    Tristan said tastefully, ¡°Good as long as you are OK.¡± And then he asked everyone to sit down, ¡°Let¡¯s talk over the food.¡±

 Chapter 34: I鈥檒l Go With You

    Ed tapped Max on the shoulder and said, ¡°Go sit over there. See, Boss is so nice to give us a treat.¡±


    The sister and brother were both startled. One felt embarrassed, and the other wailed inside.


    Tristan smiled and added lightly, ¡°I have told you how many times not to call my boss all the time.¡±


    Ed patted his head and said, ¡°Right. Sorry.¡± And he turned to Max, who was stiffened. ¡°Let me introduce you. This is my boss, CEO of Chasin Group, Mr. Fox, Tristan Fox.¡±


    Max was astonished. Chasin, everyone in LA knew it. He had not been in LA for long, but he also heard about it many times here and there.


    He had to look at him with new eyes, but at the same time, the haze inside him grew thicker. He stole a look at his sister from the corners of his eyes.


    Tristan stood up and reached his hand to him. Even while suspicious, Max stepped forward to stretch his hand out to shake with him. ¡°Hi. I am Max White.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Fox. I should pay you back someday.¡±


    Tristan smiled when he took his hand back. ¡°I have known your sister for some time. And it was not a big deal. So don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    As he said, he touched Kate on her back, and Kate¡¯s back stiffened. She did not dare look at her brother, but she could feel that he was looking at her.


    Both the sister and brother were preupied, and despite the food being as exquisite as pieces of art, they tasted like cotton. In order to defuse the awkward atmosphere, Ed tried to ask them to have wine. He made fun of Max. ¡°Max, are you old enough to have alcohol?¡±


    Tristan asked Max some questions about his major and school work. He looked like he was half an expert in that field. Max answered his questions carefully in a polite but detached manner.


    Tristan didn¡¯t eat much either, but he kept asking Kate to eat this and that, appraised the chef of the restaurant, and stated that he nned to draw him in¡­ Both the tone and the content of his words made Kate speechless.


    The atmosphere seemed peaceful, but there was something simmering below the surface. When Tristan went out to have a call and Ed left for the toilet, the sister and brother finally got a chance to be alone.


    Max said, ¡°Kate¡­¡±


    He looked at Kate¡¯s eyes and panicked. He was overwhelmed with all kinds of doubts and conjectures, but he could not utter a word. How could he ask his sister what that man had to do with you, why he helped us, what deal you had with him?


    He was afraid of asking the questions, and he was even more afraid to hear the answers. And it would be an insult and injury to his sister. He felt he had changed to a totally different disposition in the past four days. He had be cowardly and hypocritical.


    He clenched his fists under the table. His sister seemed to read his mind and moved to sit by him. She held his hand and said gently, ¡°Max, don¡¯t worry about me. I am OK. We are all OK now.¡±


    Max copsed and said chokingly, ¡°Kate, I am sorry.¡±


    Kate patted his back, stroked his hair, andforted him. ¡°I am your sister. Don¡¯t say that.¡± She also had tears in her eyes.


    At this moment, the door was pushed open a little but soon closed again.


    Ed retreated outside and muttered, ¡°Is this family of the year?¡± He turned back to see his boss shrugging his shoulders. He exined, ¡°It is not done yet.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t reply to him but turned to the window and smoked. After exhaling smoke, he asked, ¡°Do you envy them?¡±


    Ed was startled. ¡°Envy who? The ck sheep?¡±


    Tristan seemed to be speaking to himself, ¡°The bond of the family.¡±


    Ed turned his lips down. ¡°Not every family is like them. They are blockheads.¡±


    Tristanughed. After a while, he said, ¡°I haven¡¯t been to the sanatorium for quite a long time. I will go tomorrow.¡±


    And after that, he extinguished the cigarette and stood by the window and focused on the view outside. The sky formed a golden tent with the setting sun. The city was also dyed with this golden color that disguised its true appearance.


    When they got out of the restaurant, it was all dark.


    They sent Max back to school first. When he parted with his sister at the gate of the school, he looked at her in despair as if she would be executed afterward.


    That was Ed¡¯s observation. And Ed also had brainstormed about the scene of the sister in the execution room. Hopefully, she could at least keep her corpse in one piece.


    Kate looked cid, though, or was at least pretending to be.


    When they drove to the alley where Kate¡¯s apartment building was located, Ed said, ¡°Here it is. The car cannot go further. There are steps.¡±


    Kate said, ¡°OK. I will get off here.¡±


    Tristan looked at the pitched dark alley and said, ¡°I will go with you.¡±


    Kate¡¯s hand, which had already reached the car door, trembled slightly, and she pushed the door open without a word.

 Chapter 35: Feeling Any Regret Now?

    The road lights were dim, and the foggy weather made them even darker. The two people walked in a single file line, about two feet apart from each other.


    The heels knocked on the stone pavement and made a loud noise. Tristan said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to wear these from now on.¡±


    Kate slowed down for one second and didn¡¯t reply.


    The elevator was out of order, and they had to take the stairs. The induction lights on the stairs didn¡¯t work for two straight flights. ¡°Is it always like this?¡± Tristan asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then is it because of me?¡± He said half-jokingly.


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Kate replied.


    After she opened the door and switched the light on, Kate walked straight inside. Tristan ignored her manners and followed her in. He walked around as if it was his own home. It was a very cramped space, clean and tidy though, not much of a feminine trace unless one looked closely.


    ¡°You live alone?¡±


    Kate gave a hum as a reply. Tristan strolled to the kitchen and then to the balcony and pushed the window open. She looked at him oddly.


    The house was too small for Tristan, and he had already walked a couple of circles and checked everything. Seeing Kate standing there in a trance, he pointed to the couch and said, ¡°Sit.¡± And Tristan sat down next to her.


    The couch was quite long for her; sometimes, shey there reading. But now, after he sat down on it, there seemed not much space for her. She had to try to sit as far as possible on the other end. It was like he took more space that his physical body needed.


    Tristan sat with his legs crossed. One of his arms rested on the chair, his fingers knocking on it casually. He turned to Kate and asked, ¡°How much is the rent for this ce?¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The owner is my friend¡¯s rtive. He doesn¡¯t need it for now.¡± Kate said honestly.


    Tristan raised his eyebrows. ¡°A house in this area should be above 1000 dors a month.¡±


    Seeing her astonishment, he smiled and said, ¡°Who gave this good bargain to you? A man?


    Kate nodded.


    His eyes showed understanding.


    Kate protested in a low voice, ¡°It is not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± he retorted, ¡°What do I think?¡±


    There were a few books on the lower shelf of the coffee table. Tristan reached his hand and picked one up, with Basic ounting on the cover. He flipped through it and asked, ¡°You are learning this?¡±


    Kate gave an almost inaudible yes. And he continued, ¡°Looksplicated. Can you understand all this?¡±


    Kate was annoyed and didn¡¯t answer.


    After a moment of silence, he asked again, ¡°You got any water?¡±


    She didn¡¯t follow and stared at him. He smirked, ¡°That is how you treat a guest?¡±


    Kate stood up and walked to the kitchen and said, ¡°I will boil some.¡± She turned back halfway and said, with no expression, ¡°No coffee or tea.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It looked like Tristan was not too picky.


    Kate was still wearing that strapless dress, which made her feel insecure. The top kept sliding down, and she had to pull it up from time to time. Before going to the kitchen, she went to the wardrobe to get a jacket and changed her heels for slippers.


    Tristan waited patiently. He caught sight of the wardrobe she opened and frowned. It was closed tightly, and a corner of a piece of pink clothing was exposed from the seam.


    Tristan had a little obsession with tidiness and could not endure this for long. He stood up and went to the wardrobe and tucked it inside.


    But the next second, he pulled the door wide open again and stared into the wardrobe sternly.


    Kate caught a glimpse of him standing there. She didn¡¯t know what he was up to but didn¡¯t want to face him, so she just stayed in the kitchen and waited for the water in the kettle to boil.


    She took a ss and put it under the faucet to rinse mechanically until the whistling of the kettle frightened her. She then wondered, why bother washing this ss? Tristan deserved to be poisoned.


    When Kate got back to the living room with the ss of water, the man had returned, and the wardrobe door was open. She saw that piece of dark blue clothing standing out amongst her clothes.


    She panicked and put down the ss on the coffee table. Then she turned to the wardrobe, but he grabbed her wrist. His hand mped so tightly that she almost wanted to cry out in pain.


    Tristan¡¯s face looked scary, and the word was uttered from his teeth, ¡°Whose?¡±


    ¡°None of your business,¡± Kate replied.


    He sneered and said expressly, ¡°I don¡¯t pay for a wardrobe for other people¡¯s clothes.¡±


    Kate thought she knew what he meant, but she thought it was not unreasonable. She tried to throw off his hand but failed, and he pushed and leaned her back against the wardrobe door. Her back banged on the nk and her scalp jumped.


    He had resumed calmness. ¡°You didn¡¯t reply yet. Don¡¯t tell me it is your brother¡¯s.¡±


    Kate was fretted by his affected manners all evening and his mysterious sudden fury. And the sudden push and hitting on her back provoked her too. She raised her voice and said, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, whose it is.¡±


    ¡°I will return the money. All I need is a little more time.¡±


    Tristanughed, ¡°I am in need of that money?¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡± But she dried out at the end of the sentence. The answer was in the air, and she was afraid of hearing it.


    ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t give?¡± He asked immediately.


    She turned her face aside.


    Tristan sneered and said slowly, ¡°If it weren¡¯t me in the hotel room, would you let anyone with a bald head and wrinkled skin sleep with you?¡±


    Detecting a glimpse of disgust in her eyes, he continued, ¡°Or more than one man in that room¡­¡±


    Kate held her breath. She thought of what they saw earlier on TV.


    He made anotherment coldly, ¡°As you make your bed so you must lie in it.¡±


    Kate bit her lips and kept silent.


    ¡°Feeling any regret now?¡±


    Tristan observed her face and said with sarcasm slowly, ¡°Pretty noble to sell your body for your brother. And you nearly lost your life for your cheap friend? The sacrifice must be your life motto. Who do you think you are? A saint?¡±


    As he mentioned that incident, temporarily forgotten guilt emerged from Kate¡¯s heart again. Combined with the rage and resentment, she was overwhelmed with emotions. She wasn¡¯t noble. She was just stupid.


    Kate didn¡¯t know what a smart person would do in her shoes. She knew what it meant when she had signed the contract with the PR head of the hotel. She was fighting and scared, but she could not bring her brother back to their parents with one finger missing.


    Kate didn¡¯t understand why she worked her head off. She treated others nicely, she followed the rules of society, but she always pushed to extreme misfortune. Why was life so hard for her?

 Chapter 36: Just Take Whatever You Want

    She had tears in her tears, and the man had finally released her. She lowered her head and started to take off her jacket. She said in a lifeless tone, ¡°OK. I will give it. Just take whatever you want.¡±


    As you make your bed, you must lie on it. He was right.


    Tristan stepped back and folded his arm, seeing her throw away her jacket. Her naked round shoulders under the dim ceiling light had the gloss of a teenager¡¯s skin and the effect of an oil painting.


    She was searching for the zipper of the dress but couldn¡¯t find it. He felt funny and reminded her, ¡°No zipper in this kind of dress. You don¡¯t undress. A man rips it.¡±


    Her hands jerked. He said with ease, ¡°Let me guess. You are so generous suddenly. So you n to pay it all tonight and have nothing to do with me afterward?¡±


    Being seen through, she raised her head and asked awkwardly, ¡°Then how many times does it have to be?¡±


    ¡°You think you are worth one hundred thousand dors a night?¡±


    Kate bit her lips.


    ¡°And you know each time is less valuable than the previous time.¡± His tone was cool, mean, and insulting. He seemed to appreciate her reaction and continued cruelly.


    ¡°So, it has to be many times. Installment, plus interests.¡±


    Kate was stiffened to the extreme. She wasn¡¯t good at dealing with people, let alone with this kind of topic, which was not within her field of capability.


    Tristan put his hands down and said peacefully, ¡°I don¡¯t n to touch you tonight.¡±


    Discovering a bit of hope in her eyes, he changed his mind. ¡°But to destroy that expectation remaining in your mind, I will help nip you in the bud.¡±


    Kate saw the light of what he said, but it was toote. One moment she still could see the unclosed half of the wardrobe door, the next moment, she was screaming, carried by her waist.


    Kate wasid on the bed, and as she tried to struggle, he¡¯s big and powerful hands pressed her down.


    It was a dangerous ce, and they were too close to each other. Kate smelled the masculine scent and the body heat surrounding her. She did not give up hope and struggled with all her strength. She tried to move to the other side of the bed., but she was held from the back.


    She was just thinking about how to deal with the situation when suddenly her eyes widened, and her pupils shrank.


    Acute pain in her lower part of her body. She wanted to scream, but the sound was muted in her throat.


    She remained in the crawling position, but she could not move. She could not see the expression of the man behind her, but his movement was cruel beyond her imagination.


    All her mental energy was focused on one ce. She sensitively felt the intruder get deeper and deeper inch by inch.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Her pleading had no influence on his resolution to reach the bottom.


    A few secondster, the intruder retreated, and a hand lifted up to her face. It was strikingly red.


    The same finger that was tapping the couch arm was now covered with red and savage blood.


    ¡°Do you know what it means?¡± The sound carried without temperature from behind her back.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Her mind remained in the shock of the red, but she was carried and turned around. Her lower body hurts with each movement. She was confined in his arms and looked into his expressionless face.


    ¡°Remember who made you bleed.¡± And with that, he pressed his finger on her chest and wiped the red on the pearl-colored dress. A little blood was on her naked skin where the dress was torn, which happened to be the position of her heart. It was outstanding and horrifying.

 Chapter 37: It Doesn鈥檛 Have A Deadline

    When Tristan left the building, the sky was quite bright. Some parents were taking their kids to school. He passed a flowerbed and saw some roses in full blossoms, like the faces of youthfuldies. His eyes could not help staying there for a few seconds.


    The car was still there. Ed came out to open the door for him and said with his attentive smile, ¡°Morning, boss.¡±


    Tristan made a hum as a reply and got into the car.


    Ed gave a secret nce at the rearview mirror and chuckled, ¡°Boss, was it good? Feel like rain after a long drought?¡±


    Tristan stretched his wrinkled shirt and seemed not to hear his words. After a while, he said suddenly. ¡°She is used to specting on others¡¯ ill will.¡±


    Ed paused to ponder and soon added, ¡°It was not a smart scheme. One could easily see, though as if chained to another person.¡±


    Ed pursed his lips. ¡°Who cares! As long as it worked. Even if she knew about it, she could do nothing about it.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t agree with him. ¡°If I do it now, she probably won¡¯t get over it in her whole life, with her disposition.¡±


    Her whole life! Ed was taken aback at the word, and he jerked and almost hit an old man carrying his breakfast in his hand.


    Tristan frowned. ¡°Watch out!¡±


    ¡°Heck! Boss, you didn¡¯t do itst night?¡± Ed was suspicious.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Do I need to report to you on the details?¡± Tristan lifted the corners of his eyebrows.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Ed scratched his messy hair with one hand and chuckled, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a deadline, does it? Anyway, a night is enough for getting to know each other better. Haha.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t reply to these words. He looked out of the window, thinking, ¡°Too obvious of a weakness, so easy to be taken advantage of.¡±


    He didn¡¯t intend to do it, but he did it anyway.


    It was all because of that idental discovery. But that worked for her. Besides, it was a fundamental issue. She didn¡¯t cry her heart out like thest time he saw her in the hospital. Not even a drop this time. But her numb and desperate look was concerning. That was why he stayed overnight.


    Ed, who was in the front seat, was recalling another thing. One night, two months ago, he was called to the downstairs of his boss¡¯ apartment building. Cherry¡¯s ssmate was in tears, and after she got in the car, she stammered and asked, ¡°Your boss cannot do it?¡±


    He gave her a p on the face and said, ¡°You say it again?¡±


    The girl was dumbfounded. He ground his teeth and said, ¡°You don¡¯t deserve him.¡± And he threw a stack of money at her, pointed at her nose, and threatened her. ¡°Remember, if you say a word about this, I will kill all of your family.¡±


    The next day he exchanged what had happened with Chapman. Chapman nodded and said, ¡°That is right.¡±


    Ed didn¡¯t know what was right. ¡°I cannot figure this out. What does he see in her? She isn¡¯t qualified to wash Jessie¡¯s feet.¡±


    Chapman gave him a profound nce. ¡°Of course, she is not qualified, but she has her advantage. First of all, it is less risky and of low cost. Besides, who could tell what is right or wrong in sex? If it feels good, it is good.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Tristan thought suddenly, ¡°You check it out. The policeman she knew, who is he? How long have they knew each other and what rtions are they in?¡±


    Ed agreed immediately, but the scene at the bar urred to him. Was it that policeman? If yes, then they have known each other for quite a long time. Hell, he wasn¡¯t careful enough as is.


    ¡°Any problem?¡± Tristan detected the change in his expression.


    ¡°No. I will check on it.¡±


    After some silence, he asked again, ¡°You haven¡¯t used it for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Uh, for some time.¡± Ed panicked. He expected ambasting, but Tristan just said quietly, ¡°Women and children can be careless, but men cannot. Never can.¡±


    There was a deep silence in the car. After some time, the phone rang, and Tristan answered, ¡°Yes,¡­Mr. Harderson is in town? OK, I got it. Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 38: A Strange Mystery

    Jimmy took two days off for his annual vacation, and together with Columbus Day, he booked a trip back to his hometown for his grandma¡¯s 80th birthday.


    As soon as he walked inside his grandma¡¯s house, he saw his ex-girlfriend Linda Galvin. It was natural because she was on good terms with his grandmother. But when they sat down for dinner, his grandma asked them when they would get married, and she could have a great-grandson. Jimmy exined to her that he and Linda were not together a long time ago. When he looked at Linda, he found she had lowered her head and was upset.


    Later he found out that Linda wanted to get back with him. His grandma and his parents had even been conspiring to intervene. It made him look like a jilted lover.


    Even on his way back to LA, his mother still called perseveringly to interrogate and urged him to think it over. Linda was a good girl, she repeated again and again.


    Jimmy exined too weakly that he could not waste Linda¡¯s time because she was a good girl. Something could bepromised, like his career.


    Linda and Jimmy had been high school ssmates. She sat in front of him in the home economics ss. She always heard him talking about his dream. Later he went to the police academy, and Linda went to college in another city. They kept in touch all this time and ended up together.


    However, after Jimmy graduated and started working, he became busier and busier. Linda firstined about him not spending enough time with her and then med the danger and difficulty of his job as a police officer. Later, she went so far as to ask her father to pull strings and switch Jimmy¡¯s job. At the time, they fought hard; she wanted to break up with him, and he agreed.


    Jimmy drove the car sulkily. When he stopped, he found he had arrived at the office building he worked at. It was in his blood now, he thought bitterly. He¡¯d better just marry his job.


    There was mor all about the office. The holiday had just ended, and there was no major case, so everyone waszing around. The newly graduated college student girl greeted Jimmy and told him there was a package waiting for him.


    He went to his desk and found a big package on it. His idle colleagues gathered around to see. ¡°Is it a bomb?¡± one said.


    Jimmy pped this moron on the head and picked the package up. It was sent from the same city. He opened it. It was uniform. Examining the police number, Jimmy realized that it was his.


    One of his colleagues made fun of him. ¡°Who sent this? A would-be-Mrs. York?¡±


    Jimmy didn¡¯t say a word. He knew exactly who had sent it. But he didn¡¯t understand why she would do this. Maybe it was because he had ignored her for a long time? Why waste the postage?


    He dialed her number but got no answer. He ignored his colleagues¡¯ looks, grabbed his car key, and went out.


    Jimmy sped away and arrived at the supermarket Kate worked in. He asked as soon as he walked in, ¡°Where is Kate?¡±


    The two girls at the cashier counters stared at him strangely and said, ¡°Outside.¡±


    Jimmy turned back and walked out, looking around. He saw a familiar figure on the opposite side of the road. Kate was making a call. She looked frail from this angle.


    Two big boys were ying on the sidewalk. One of them ran by and bumped into Kate. She didn¡¯t fall, but the phone in her hand flew out, drawing a perfect parab in the air, and fell straight into the middle of the road. Jimmy was going tough, but he muted himself immediately when a van passing by rolled over Kate¡¯s phone.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Kate saw her cell phone broken into pieces on the road and sighed. It looked like her streak of bad luck would never hit bottom.


    None of the culprits were in sight now. Kate was just about to walk over to the dismembered remains of her phone when someone ahead of her collected it first.


    She looked up and found it was someone she knew. If it had been just a few days before, she would be full of joy at the sight of him, but now her face turned pale, and she felt the desire to run away.


    Kate felt paralyzed and remained where she was.


    Jimmy spread his hands in the middle of the road and said to her with regret: ¡°You have to get a new phone.¡±


    Kate was speechless.


    Over a month had passed since theirst meeting.


    Jimmy was still the same person he had been a month ago, but Kate certainly was not the same woman he had known then. She felt so depressed. What she had lost that night was not just her virginity. The extravagant dream of a poor and innocent girl who struggled with the difficulties of life, a dream for true love, was dead.


    Jimmy poked the pieces of her phone in his hand as he walked, but suddenly he stopped and picked out a small object. He showed it to Kate.


    Kate looked at it nkly. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Jimmy said grimly, ¡°This is not part of your phone.¡±


    She didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°If I am not mistaken, this is a wiretap device,¡± Jimmy said expressly.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kate opened her eyes widely. How could this have happened?


    Jimmy lifted the device and examined it for a while, finally muttering, ¡°So small. Quite hi-tech.¡±


    When he turned to her, his eyes had an air of exploration. ¡°Why would this be on your phone? Who had the opportunity to put this on your phone?¡±


    The new discovery diluted her sorrow. She echoed Jimmy¡¯s questions inside and recalled the people she had encountered in the past year.


    She heard Jimmy ask again, ¡°How long has this been in your cell phone? You have been under their surveince every minute. This probably also has a location tracking feature.¡±


    Jimmy was right. Those strange experiences shed back in her mind.


    Her father had fallen ill, and those men showed up; she was about to be raped, and he arrived just in time; she went to the hotel room, and he was the guest; his man saved her brother from the gang¡­


    Kate found that her brain could not function properly. She now felt bizarre while reflecting on her experiences, but when she was the person involved, she hadn¡¯t had time to think about it. Now, these were not something one could exin as coincidence.


    She felt the air be cold, and her face turned as white as paper.

 Chapter 39: I Cannot Tell You

    Seeing the change in her face and her weakened body jerk slightly, Jimmy asked with worry, ¡°Kate, are you OK? Did you think of something?¡±


    His question woke Kate up. She blinked her eyes and said, ¡°No, I am thinking¡­I have something to finish in the store. I have to get back.¡±


    She walked a few steps and then turned back and reached out her hand. ¡°My cell phone¡­¡±


    Jimmy picked the SIM card from the remains of the phone in his palm and gave it to Kate. ¡°This should still be workable. Put it in a new phone and see if it works.¡±


    Seeing Kate still stretching her hand out, he returned the remains of her phone, but he picked the little piece out and said, ¡°I will take this back to my office. Since you have no idea about it, it is better to have someone investigate it.¡±


    He looked Kate in the eyes while he said this, but Kate put the remains of the phone into her pocket without expression and said indifferently, ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to me anyway.¡±


    She turned back and walked. Jimmy grabbed her arm. His eyes were full of concern.


    ¡°Kate, what is the matter with you? What happened?¡±


    And then he hesitated and added, ¡°Something happened just a few days ago, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kate¡¯s arm stiffened, and his instinct was confirmed.


    ¡°Kate, we are friends. You can tell me about any problem you have.¡±


    He was sincere, and his frowning brows showed his anxiety.


    Kate muttered, ¡°But you are a cop.¡±


    He was startled but soonughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that even better? I can employ resources others do not have. I can do better.¡±


    Kate muttered dejectedly, ¡°No. I cannot tell you.¡±


    She let go of his hand and walked across the street. Jimmy was going to chase her, but a long truck roared past. He had to retreat to the roadside. After the truck was gone, Kate had disappeared at the entrance of the supermarket.


    Jimmy crossed the road but didn¡¯t go inside to see her.


    He got back to his car and put the tracking device into a stic bag, gave it onest nce, and put it away.


    Jimmy took out a cigarette and lit it. He thought of Kate¡¯s abnormal reaction just now and their few meetings since he had known her. It was unbelievable for a simple girl like her to be involved in such things. He was even upset that she refused his help.


    After Jimmy finished his cigarette, someone knocked on his car door. He turned aside and saw Kate.


    ¡°There is one thing.¡± After getting in the car, Kate spoke slowly and looked into Jimmy¡¯s eyes. ¡°You are my friend, right?¡±


    Jimmy nodded.


    She told him about her bizarre experiences. A friend of hers had given her an envelope and asked her to keep it safe for her; she was kidnapped and tortured; she was released, and then her father got sick; the people met her near the hospital and offered to trade with her, etc.


    Kate said that they might have nted the wiretap device.


    Jimmy listened attentively and nodded. ¡°It is possible. Did you see what was in the envelope?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Do you know who they are?¡±


    Kate shook her head again.


    ¡°What did they look like?¡±


    Kate hesitated and then shook her head again.


    Jimmy saw the problem and said, ¡°You have some reservations.¡±


    Kate nodded. ¡°I am not afraid of them, but I am worried that they might do something to my family.¡±


    Jimmy sighed.


    Kate asked carefully, ¡°I am thinking¡­if you can check for me if Betty is still alive. Did you find some¡­someone who resembles her.¡±


    She could not find the words to tell Jimmy that she wanted to bring Betty¡¯s ashes back to her parents if she had died.


    Jimmy said, ¡°I will check. This is murder, a criminal case. Besides, what are you going to tell her parents? Their daughter was murdered in another city without any evidence of why and by whom. Should they be kept in the darkness?¡±


    These words hit the softest part of Kate¡¯s heart, and she was speechless.


    Jimmy knew he could not push her too hard. He patted Kate on the shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t take it too hard, though. If you have anything to say to me, call me any time. If an investigation is initiated, you and your family will be protected. There are legal procedures for this.¡±


    Kate looked at him and said with appreciation and a little fear, ¡°Thank you.¡± She was as polite as the first time he saw her, and Jimmy felt his heart ache.


    Jimmy touched her slightly messy hair and said, ¡°You see, you don¡¯t take me as a friend now.¡±


    He realized that maybe his movement was a little too intimate. Jimmyughed and took his hand back.


    When Kate had almost reached her apartment building after work, the sound of a car horn scared her. She looked over. A car was parked in the shadows where the road lights did not reach.


    When she looked there, the headlights suddenly turned on.


    Ed got out and waved to her, pulled open the back door, and signaled for her to get in. She hesitated but obeyed.


    When she bent over, she saw Tristan sitting inside in formal clothes. Ed said to her, ¡°Don¡¯t waste time, get in.¡±


    Tristan smiled at her harmlessly, but Kate naturally thought of the bloody finger at the sight of him. Somewhere in her body hurts too.


    He grabbed her hand and put it on hisp, but she threw his hand away suddenly and looked at him in fear.


    Tristanughed understandingly and grabbed her hand again tightly, not giving her any chance to get away this time, and said in a pacifying tone, ¡°I just dropped by to see you and send you something.¡±


    Waiting for her to calm down, Tristan asked again, ¡°Why have you turned off your phone?¡±


    As he mentioned this, Kate felt a pang in her heart. Thinking of the thing he nted on her phone, her hatred for him increased, but she managed to reply.


    ¡°It was crushed by a car.¡±


    Fearing he would not believe her, she took out the remains of the phone from her pocket.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t be repaired.¡±


    Amused at the pathetic remains of the phone, Tristan took them and examined them, asking, ¡°This is all of it?¡±


    ¡°Some small pieces remained on the road.¡±


    He threw them into the dustbin of the car and said, ¡°It is OK. I will have somebody send you a new one tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Kate blurted out.


    But she soon felt her hand mped tighter, and her eyes met his. Tristan said, ¡°Remember, from now on, whatever I give you, you can only ept.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Tristan held Kate¡¯s hand captive for the entire car ride, and he rubbed it unconsciously. Sometimes his thumb would rub across her palm and make her shiver.


    This torture made the time pass by slower, and after what felt like a geological age, Tristan looked at his watch and released her, saying benignly, ¡°I have some other things to attend to. Let Ed help you move things up.¡±


    Ed had already produced two big cases from the trunk and waited outside. Kate fled from the car as Tristan smiled to himself.

 Chapter 40: Jimmy鈥檚 Gift

    Early the next morning, Ed sent Kate a new cell phone, packed in a fancy paper bag. Without looking inside, Kate could already tell what ss of product it was. Ed said that there was a SIM card in it but that Kate could use her original SIM card if she preferred.


    After Ed left, Kate was still standing in a corner behind the supermarket. This kind of thing did not go with her social status. But what social status was she in now? The words echoed ghastly in her ears, ¡°Whatever I give you, you can only ept.¡±


    She sighed and picked up a ck stic bag from the nearby garbage bin, put the whole paper bag in, and then went back to the supermarket.


    She knew that she had to take the phone, but deep down in her heart, she resisted it with disgust. She put the ck stic bag into her locker without giving it another look.


    That afternoon when she was working, Jenny called her and said someone wanted to see her outside.


    She went out and saw Jimmy.


    Jimmy said, ¡°I called you but couldn¡¯t get through. So I knew you hadn¡¯t bought a new phone yet. I happened to have an extra one. I haven¡¯t used it yet.¡±


    He felt his exnation was overdone when he met her nk eyes. The fact was that he bought the phone on his lunch break.


    Jimmy had weighed over the models while he was picking. Kate would never ept an expensive model; an updated model would not do either. Finally, he picked a simple and low profile phone with sufficient features; the modelunchedst year.


    Seeing Kate¡¯sck of reaction, he shoved the box into her hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you like it, but just make do with it.¡±


    Kate took it hastily to avoid dropping it on the floor, but she pushed it back to him and said, ¡°Thank you very much. It is too much, and  too expensive. I cannot take it.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jimmy scratched his head. ¡°It is not much in size or price. Really.¡±


    He was a little helpless at her persistence and a little lost too. He found an excuse. ¡°I have a case to attend to. I have to go now.¡± Then he jumped in his car and fled away.


    She waited until his Pajero disappeared in the traffic. Kate held the box tightly on her chest and as if she wanted to push it into her body. She felt bitter inside and said to herself, ¡°Don¡¯t be so nice to me now. I don¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    The phone Jimmy sent her was a white Nokia, simple and smart. Frankly, Kate liked it. She looked at it for a while and put the little SIM card in.


    She took a close look at the ce where the battery was located topare it with her previous cell phone. She knew she didn¡¯t have to worry about this cell phone; on the contrary, the one in her locker might be dangerous.


    She made a call to Max. Max was smart and sensitive. She knew he would feel guilty judging from what he saw that day. She knew what it felt like to be guilty, so she was worried about him.


    It was very quiet on the other line, and Max exined that he was in the library preparing for a contest. They exchanged a few words simply and intentionally avoiding a subject they both did not want to address.


    After hanging up, Kate thought, whatever it was, it was enough if her family were all safe.


    At this stage of life, safe and peaceful life was luxurious for her. This recent, radical change in her life hasn¡¯t allowed her any time for a break.


    It was not time to get off work yet, and Ed called. ¡°When do you get off? I am outside your supermarket. Come out now.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t finished my shift yet.¡±


    ¡°Then, I wille inside.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Kate sighed and walked out. She told Adda she would leave early.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She was in poor shape and looked pale these past two days, and Adda thought she was under the weather. Adda asked her to take good care of herself and to get some rest.

 Chapter 41: Picking Her Up

    The car was parking by the road imposingly. It was dark and gloomy, giving an ominous feeling. And in fact, it was ominous.


    Kate approached and asked outside the half slid down window, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ed said as a matter of course, ¡°Picking you up to go home. Get in.¡±


    ¡°No. I will take the bus.¡±


    ¡°You think I wanted this? It is my boss¡¯ idea. Hurry up.¡±


    She had to pull the back door open and get in.


    Ed drove very fast, and the car snaked its way among the sea of traffic as a fish would. No traffic rules were obeyed. Kate¡¯s heart was bouncing up and down with the risky turning and advancing. Soon she felt something was not right. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Seaside vi.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°You will live there from now on.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kate said decisively. It was too tyrannical of him. She protested sternly, ¡°I will not go there.¡±


    Ed said indifferently, ¡°I am just executing his order. It is useless to talk with me. Go talk with the boss.¡±


    ¡°I will talk to him.¡±


    Ed paused to steal a look at her from the rearview mirror and passed her the phone.


    Kate took it and said she didn¡¯t know his number.


    ¡°Press 1.¡±


    Kate dialed, and after a few seconds of music, it got through. Tristan¡¯s low voice with impatience came to her ear. ¡°What is the matter?¡±


    She was too excited, and her breath was ragged. ¡°Fox, it is too much of you!¡±


    ¡°Kate?¡± He was surprised but turned quiet immediately. ¡°I will talk to you when I get back. I am busy now.¡±


    ¡°I will not go there.¡±


    Tristan was silent for a moment and said, ¡°Do you think this is something that can be negotiated?¡±


    Kate was startled and ground her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far.¡±


    Heughed lightly and turned cold. ¡°It was a gesture of thanks to you. We will settle itter.¡± And then he hung up.


    Kate listened to the beeping sound as her chest moved up and down. She had nowhere to vent her anger. Until the hand stretched from the front, she gave the phone back mechanically. After she got back to her senses, she screamed, ¡°Stop the car. I want to get out here.¡±


    The car didn¡¯t slow down at all. She turned to open the door, but it was locked. Ed pressed the lock button just in time. He frowned. ¡°Are you crazy? Jumping out? You think you are immortal?¡±


    Kate¡¯s rare emotional outburst subsided at his shouting like a leaking balloon. She sat back, weakly.


    Ed felt pity for her zed expression and said, ¡°Stop fussing. It is a matter of sooner orter.¡±


    Kate turned to him nkly, and Ed¡¯s expression became awkward in the rearview mirror. ¡°Well,st time, I offended you¡­sorry.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t know which time he meant, but she was not in the mood to find out. Her mind was focused on how she could get through tonight.


    It was dark when they arrived. Kate didn¡¯t notice this was the ce Max admired when they went to the seaside with John. She was muddle-headed when she got out of the car and followed Ed to the door of the vi.


    Somebody received them respectfully at the door. It was a middle-aged woman who looked familiar. She called her Miss White and got her the slippers to change. She even reached her hand to take her bag for her, but she was not used to being waited upon, and she dodged her.


    The woman didn¡¯t mind and led her upstairs warmly. She opened the door to one room and asked her to go in. She told Kate the bathwater was ready, and she pointed to a change of clothes. Before she left, she asked if Kate need anything, to just call her.


    Kate stood in the middle of the room, lost in thought. The room was bigger than her whole apartment. Even though the drapes, the sheets on the bed, the carpet were a warm color, she felt the room was cold. Then she realized the woman was the one who brought her breakfast after her nightmare of torture.


    She had been avoiding the memory of that night intentionally. If she could, she would remove it from her memory thoroughly as that man instructed her to do that time.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    But it was he who dragged her back to this again.

 Chapter 42: Turn Off The Light

    Kate didn¡¯t go to the bath. She sat on the couch immediately, feeling her body transition from trembling to numbness. She didn¡¯t know how many hours had passed.


    She was used to sleeping early and getting up early, and she became drowsy. While half dreaming and half awake, Kate felt somebody touch her on the shoulder.


    She woke up immediately and saw Tristan standing in front of her and reprimanding her. ¡°Why not go to bed?¡±


    Looking at her clothes, he frowned. ¡°Not taking a shower yet? Hurry up. Go take a shower.¡±


    Seeing no reaction from her, Tristanughed, ¡°Need my help?¡±


    He reached his hand to Kate, but before he touched her, she jumped up like she was being burnt. ¡°No, I will do it myself.¡±


    After she took a shower and came out, Tristan was sitting on the couch with his dark night-robe. His hair was wet; obviously, he had taken a bath in the other bathroom. Tristan¡¯s dress made him different from how he usually appeared but not less scary. On the contrary, it made Kate more alert in such an environment.


    The next second, Kate was shocked. She saw him ying with a white cell phone.


    ¡°It rang all the time just now.¡± He exined carelessly and then raised his head to look at her. ¡°The policeman gave this to you?¡±


    ¡°You saw him again?¡± It sounded more like an assertive sentence than a question.


    Kate didn¡¯t answer.


    Tristan continued slowly. ¡°One is so devoted, and one is so considerate. I am almost moved to tears.¡± And then he changed. ¡°But you seemed to forget what I said.¡±


    As he said that, Tristan threw his hand backward gracefully, and there was a white shadow flying over in the air, and it fell on the corner of the room. Kate chased it with eyes, and she moved to it too, but she just ran one step before his arm stopped her.


    Tristan¡¯s action was too fast, and it happened in just a tenth of a second.


    Kate was thrown into the bed and bounced on the soft mattress.


    When her body met the mattress, the memory of that horrible night came back to her. Her will to revolt was woken up. Kate shouted, ¡°Why should I mind you? I have the freedom to see who I want to see.¡±


    Tristan looked at her from above and spoke as a matter of fact. ¡°I am entitled to do so. You are mine.¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡± Kate denied.


    Tristan smiled and said gently, ¡°How old are you? You have such a poor memory. Let me help you recall it.¡±


    He bent down to her. Kate struggled in anger and didn¡¯t stop speaking, ¡°I am not. It is true I owe you one hundred thousand dors, but I have not sold myself to you for a whole life. You don¡¯t get to decide my life. I don¡¯t want to stay here¡­¡±


    As she was speaking, Tristan put his hand on her neck and put a finger against her lips. ¡°Hush.¡±


    ¡°Good to know you owe me. It is time to pay now.¡±


    Seeing her want to open her mouth again, he changed his face and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me be harsh.¡±


    It was a threat.


    Having seen his viciousness and brutality, Kate believed he could break her neck easily if he wanted. And she could imagine his face if he did it-that would be expressionless.


    The threat worked immediately.


    The man started to unbutton her top. He did it with care and even like a gentleman.


    Soon Kate waspletely naked.


    She had never been fully nude in front of a male. His gaze itself made her feel shameful. She said, ¡°Turn off the light,¡± in a way between pleading and order.


    It was ignored. And she had to put her hand on the face to cover the light.


    Kate was quite skinny, and it was even more entuated when sheid down. Fortunately, her shape was feminine enough to offset the weak point. Her belly was moving up and down because of her anxiety.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Tristan put his hand on it, and it stopped moving immediately. Looking down from above, her ribs were visible, and her breasts were t. Indeed, they were too t.


    He put his palm on one side of her breast and slowly closed his fingers, and felt a small bulge under his palm.


    He frowned and muttered, ¡°It is small.¡± And then he seemed to unconsciously rub the pink tip with his thumb as its owner trembled and made a muffled sound.

 Chapter 43: Sleep

    Kate was under strange tortures. She was tortured more mentally than physically.


    Tristan¡¯s palm was dry and slightly hot. This unfamiliar contact made her breathe irregrly. Kate felt his hand move down to below her waist. When it passed by her groin, she shivered all over and had to bite her lips so as not to cry out.


    And gradually, the shame was reced by horror.


    She spread her fingers and saw through the seam. He was holding her left ankle and ying with it like he was ying with her cell phone earlier. Because he was looking down, she could not see his eyes.


    But based on her experience of being harassed, she felt that he didn¡¯t have the desire in his eyes.


    This discovery gave her goose flesh.


    She felt as if she was lying on a metal table, and Tristan was the surgeon. One of his hands was examining her body, and the other was holding a scalpel. The scalpel coulde down at any minute and cut through her ruthlessly.


    When Kate woke up, she found herself alone in the bed. If she weren¡¯t lying in an absolutely strange ce, she would have thought this had all been a weird and horrible dream.


    She was sore all over her body, and her limbs felt weak. Last night when her nerves were pulled to the extreme, Tristan had finished his thorough and detailed examination on her body and then got up and switched off the light.


    ¡°Sleep.¡± He said.


    He meant it literally.


    However, her highly tense nerves could not recover, and Katey there curled up in a ball. In addition, she was not used to this bed and sheets, it was not until theter part of the night that she fell asleep from exhaustion.


    After she recalled what happenedst night in the bed, Kate got out of the bed. She checked the ce where her cell phone was dropped, but nothing was there. She searched around the room but couldn¡¯t find it.


    She pushed the door open and tripped on something. She looked down and met a pair of green eyes. A fatty thing-she couldn¡¯t tell if it was a cat or a pig. She was surprised. There was such a thing here too?


    The fat cat was not afraid of her. It even stuck out its tongue to lick her feet. It was itchy, so Kate dodged it and went to the bathroom to clean up.


    When she got out, the cat was squatting at the door and looking up at her. Its eyes stared into hers for a while, and it jumped up, boldly into her arms.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    The cat was not disgusting. It was all white, and not a single hair on its body was another color. It reminded her of the snow in her hometown.


    Kate bent down to touch its back. It meowedfortably and rubbed its head in her palm.


    She liked small animals, indeed. When she was a child, she once brought a homeless yellow cat home. Her mother said it was dirty and sent it away the next day.


    Her mother said they could not afford to feed a cat. They had enough trouble feeding their own family members. Kate wanted to argue that she would eat less and share her portion with the cat, but she gave up because she thought her portion was already deemed an extra burden.


    As she was in her meditation, the cat reached out for a yard after taking an inch. It was already lying on Kate¡¯s slippers.


    The middle-aged woman fromst night came to ask Kate to have breakfast. She was surprised to see the cat on her feet. ¡°It looks like it likes you. It ignores everyone except Mr. Fox.¡±


    Kate was speechless. Should she feel honored?

 Chapter 44: Can I Make A Call?

    After breakfast, Kate changed her clothes and wanted to go out. Laura, the middle-aged housekeeper, said awkwardly, ¡°Mr. Fox said you were not well and had to stay home for rest.¡±


    Not well? That was his conclusion afterst night¡¯s examination?


    Kate felt a lot of spite toward him. Recalling the details ofst night, her face went red and white for a while.


    She caught a chance when nobody was looking and snuck to the door, but as soon as she opened it, she saw an expressionless face. It was that of Buzz-cut.


    He just cut his hair not long ago, and his scalp was almost visible. His dark face had a further deterrent effect.


    Kate¡¯s heart sank to the bottom of the ocean. So she was under house arrest?


    ¡°Can I make a call?¡± She asked.


    ¡°To whom?¡±


    ¡°The supermarket.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to work. They have been told.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Before she finished, Buzz-cut¡¯s dark face interrupted her coldly. ¡°You cannot call anybody else.¡±


    Kate was anxious. ¡°I need to keep in touch with my family.¡±


    ¡°Boss said this was punishment.¡±


    ¡°You cannot make calls for three days. And if you don¡¯t behave yourself, it will be extended.¡± Sam spoke this like a recital. And then he closed the door.


    She was shut from the outside world.


    Kate stood there nkly and could not ept this as a fact.


    Laura said with some sympathy, ¡°There are still a lot of things to do. You can watch TV, read books, and see the sea from the windows upstairs¡­¡±


    Kate curled her lips and said, ¡°I got it.¡± And she walked upstairs.


    The cat followed her heels. Kate was upset and lifted her feet, pretending to kick it. It stepped back a little but soon followed her again, looking pathetic.


    Kate felt sorry for the cat. In some ways, it was just like her, imprisoned here. Tristan Fox didn¡¯t look like a person fond of little animals. She bent down to carry it but wasn¡¯t ready for its weight and almost dropped it.


    The cat was scared, and with a meow, it clung to her arms. Kate was amused by it and pushed it closer to her arms and said in a low voice, ¡°Too heavy. You should lose weight.¡±


    Jimmy hadn¡¯t gotten his hands on any big cases, but he didn¡¯t stay idle.


    He looked through the missing person cases of the past year but couldn¡¯t find a woman named Caroline or any other simr person.


    Jimmy checked the files of all female bodies found in that period, the pictures, forensic identification, and rted materials, but no one was even close to Kate¡¯s description.


    That was to say, even if Caroline had been killed, her body had not been found yet.


    Jimmy checked the phonepany¡¯s records and got the number of Caroline¡¯s house. He called, and Caroline¡¯s father answered it. He was scared to death when he heard the call was from the police. He asked if Caroline did something wrong and said they had not seen Caroline for over a half year, which corroborated what Kate had told Jimmy.


    Next, Jimmy went to the ce Caroline worked, the recreation center of the hotel Kate had told him about. The chief and staff told him that Caroline resigned a year and a half ago, and nobody had seen her ever since.


    It was not easy to find someone whose permanent address was not in the city. For a person with a career like Caroline¡¯s, it was even more difficult.


    After inquiring and exploring for some time, Jimmy finally found the ce where Caroline was known to have lived.


    When Jimmy contacted thendlord, he said that Caroline moved away over six months ago. As for which day exactly, it couldn¡¯t be known, as she didn¡¯t give thendlord any notice. He told Jimmy that their things were tossed all around the house.


    ¡°Their?¡± Jimmy asked, surprised.


    ¡°Right. The couple.¡± Thendlord said.


    But thendlord borated, exining to Jimmy that Caroline had signed the lease contract and that her husband was not present.


    Jimmy thought this could be another clue. So his next step was to talk with the neighbors to get some more information.


    But the block was filled with some quite dpidated buildings. Most of the people living here were tenants who rented the houses temporarily and stayed no more than a few months.


    There was only one woman, who was fumbling in the garbage bin, who said that she had seen Caroline. When Jimmy asked about Caroline¡¯s husband or boyfriend, the woman became confused and sometimes said he was square-faced and sometimes round-faced, sometimes with sses and sometimes without.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Jimmy was disappointed. Looking at her dazed condition and ragged clothes, he worried she might have mental health issues.

 Chapter 45: How Could You Do That?

    That evening, Tristan got back earlier than usual while Kate was watching TV in the living room.


    The fat cat was leaning against her, and when it heard the sound, it jumped down from the couch and ran to meet him with its fat body shaking.


    Laura also walked out of the kitchen to ask if he had already had dinner or if he needed dessert.


    Tristan declined.


    He walked to the couch and sat down. On the TV screen, there was an endless prairie, and a flock of baboons was moving around. He smiled and asked, ¡°You liked this program?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t look at him but just nodded.


    Tristan didn¡¯t mind her ignoring him or perhaps had gotten used to her way. He loosened his tie andy back on the couch. Then he found the person beside him was sitting in a strange position, with her back up straight and her hands on thep, like a student who was punished by a teacher.


    He suddenly became curious about what kind of environment she grew up in.


    Laura brought a pot of tea and teacups. She poured a cup for Tristan, and then she was dismissed to get some rest.


    So the living room was left to two people, a cat and a flock of baboons.


    The cat was trying to jump up on the couch but failed a couple of times. Kate reached her hands out to help it, and Tristan disapproved. ¡°You should let it try by itself. You see how fat it is now.¡±


    ¡°It was what you did to make it how fat it was now,¡± Kate protested inside.


    The cat sniffed between the two people and finally made up its mind and rested its big head on Lucy¡¯sp.


    Looking at the cat¡¯s bottom facing him and thecent long tail swaying in front of him, Tristan was a little jealous.


    ¡°Ha. It seems you are liked by animals.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I am.¡±


    Kate squinted at Tristan and scanned him. He was drinking tea and seemed not to realize the deeper meaning of her words.


    Tristan swallowed the tea and ignored her implication.


    As if the cat heard what they said, it turned its head to him and started to scratch him on the crotch.


    ¡°Stop it, Lucy.¡±


    Tristan pulled away from its ws. The cat had be activetely, which was quite annoying.


    His eyes happened to meet Kate¡¯s surprised or shocked eyes. He reacted and exined naturally, ¡°Its name is Lucy. Do you know the Lucy of Peanuts? Charlie Brown, Snoopy?¡±


    Kate nodded, but she didn¡¯t know what rtion the cat had with that cartoon character.


    Lucy squinted and licked her ws. Either she didn¡¯t know her cartoon counterpart, or she didn¡¯t think that it deserved to have the same name as her.


    But Tristan sank into meditation because of what he said. When he brought her home, she had said it reminded her of Lucy of Peanuts. He didn¡¯t see any resemnce between the two, but he said then why not just called it Lucy.


    The memory was buried for a long time and what was sweet only brought him a bitter feeling when recalled of it. Lucy and the person are sitting beside him now, what a coincidence!


    Kate didn¡¯t know what Tristan was thinking. She was focusing on the TV, but then the scene shocked her: A male baboon walked to the back of a female baboon and started the activity of creating their offspring in public¡­She turned off the TV immediately.


    It was the third day she had been here. Except for the first night when he had performed that morbid examination of her body, Tristan didn¡¯t do anything too much. He only sometimes put his hand on her waist. She didn¡¯t want the baboons to give him any ideas.


    She stole a look at Tristan and found him tilting his head, rubbing his temples with his fingers, and seeming not to detect her action. It was lucky.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    After a while, Kate asked, ¡°Where is the phone?¡±


    He looked over and pretended not to understand her. ¡°Which phone?¡±


    Kate bit her lips. ¡°My cell phone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I threw that away.¡±


    How could he throw away something of significance to her?


    ¡°Where did you throw it?¡±


    ¡°You could try looking for it in the sea. Maybe you can find it.¡±


    Kate could not hold her temper back and raised her voice.


    ¡°How could you do that?¡±


    Kate regretted that she put her SIM card in the phone and hadn¡¯t kept it hidden. It was Jimmy¡¯s phone. Even if she could not return it to him, she still wanted to keep it. But Tristan threw it away!


    Kate couldn¡¯t make sense of this person, and she was no match for him in a fight. She could only avoid seeing him, so she stood up.


    ¡°Wait a minute. Come with me to the study room.¡± Tristan stood up and walked upstairs ahead of her.

 Chapter 46: Don鈥檛 Talk About Fairness

    The study wasn¡¯t locked, but Kate had not been into it.


    She scanned the room. There was a huge bookshelf covering a whole side of the wall from the floor to the ceiling, which gave the room a magnificent feeling.


    As with other things in this house, nothing was special, a grand dark desk, a set of leather couches, and a half person height nt with profuse leaves.


    Tristan pointed at the couch and said, ¡°Sit.¡±


    And then he took out a document and said, ¡°Sign this.¡±


    Kate was startled. ¡°What is this?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say but motioned her to read it herself.


    Kate opened it and read just a few lines and couldn¡¯t suppress her feeling. It was an employment contract by form, but it was, in fact, a sales agreement, and she was themodity.


    She was astonished that this ugly and shady rtionship could be put down in ck and white with a marked price.


    And to top everything, the term was three years!


    She could not sit still there.


    Tristan satzily onto another couch and looked at her reaction.


    ¡°Can I refuse?¡± Kate asked.


    ¡°No.¡± He said this with a straight face but added casually, ¡°Three years. You not only can pay the debts but also earn arge sum. It is worth your while.¡±


    Kate scowled, ¡°I cannot sign this.¡±


    Tristan squinted and said, ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°This is selling my body.¡±


    ¡°You have already sold it.¡±


    This made Kate speechless.


    ¡°You can have what you want if you sign the contract. Do you want to sacrifice it for free?¡±


    His tone carried sarcasm. And then he turned serious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about fairness with me. It doesn¡¯t exist in my dictionary. It is trade. We each get what we need. Even if you don¡¯t sign, nothing will be changed. You will get what you deserve, no more, no less.¡±


    ¡°Then why bother to sign?¡± Kate said.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Because I want you to.¡±


    Tristan paused a little and added, ¡°This will make you realize your identity and avoid doing something unbing, which could lead to an unnecessary loss.¡±


    And then he put the pen into her hand and grabbed it tightly.


    Kate still could not sign her name.


    She had epted the rtions they had now, but to sign it on paper, it was different. This naked trade of money and fresh, she could not ept it. And for three years!


    3 years¡­


    Tristan didn¡¯t press her anymore. He stroked her hand and talked casually, ¡°Well, I heard from Ed that he saw your brother at LACC today.¡±


    Kate, startled, raised her head and said with fresh horror, ¡°What did you do to him?¡±


    He patted the back of her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get nervous. Ed just dropped by to see his girlfriend. He met your brother and said hello to him.¡±


    But he turned his tone. ¡°What a coincidence. The campus was quite big. It was amazing that he met Max, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kate knew he was threatening her.


    She ground her teeth and signed her name. Her trembling hand revealed her feelings in the signature.


    Tristan took the pen and paper from her and signed his name in a bold scrawl.


    Looking at the two signatures on the paper, Kate was in a trance. She was bound with this person who popped up in her life and would have to share three years of her life with him. It was unbearable even just to imagine it.


    She felt her heart was dead. ¡°Can I go out now?¡±


    Tristan nodded.


    When she reached the door, she heard him say, ¡°Well, if nothing special happens, you will live here all the time. And you can tell Laura if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Or me.¡± He added.


    Kate¡¯s hand was on the handle of the door, and she made a hardly audible sound as a reply and walked out.


    When she saw the fat cat again, she squatted down and asked, ¡°Are you with them?¡±


    Lucy meowed as a reply and wanted to climb to Kate¡¯s arms, but she dodged it and dered to the cat, ¡°I hate you. And I hate your name!¡±


    In his study, Tristan was still sitting on the couch. He looked at the paper and took out a cell phone from his pocket. Red¡­He frowned. Ed had bought it. What a waste. Obviously, white is more suitable for the girl.


    It contained the SIM card that had been switched from the other cell phone.


    Five missed calls¡­all from the same person.


    Tristan said the name in his heart.


    Jimmy.


    Jimmy.

 Chapter 47: I Gave You A Chance

    As Kate had many emotions in her heart, she tossed and turned in bed and could not sleep.


    Tristan went back to the bedroom and showed her the new cell phone, saying generously, ¡°Make a call to Jimmy. He had called several times.¡±


    Kate saw the number on the screen and got nervous. She wanted to grab the phone, but Tristan raised it to a height she could not reach. And then he dialed the number slowly and gave it to her. Kate didn¡¯t want to talk with Jimmy at this time, so she pressed hang up.


    Tristan raised his eyebrows and made a long face. ¡°This is your only chance. If you don¡¯t take it, you will have to wait for one month.¡±


    He got the effect he wanted-Kate¡¯s eyes widened.


    Tristan dialed Jimmy¡¯s number again and gave the phone to Kate. She didn¡¯t hang up this time.


    After two beeps, the call went through. Jimmy¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Kate?¡±


    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s me.¡±


    Kate wanted to lift up the quilt and get off the bed, but Tristan grabbed her wrist.


    She turned back to see Tristan¡¯s mouth, pronouncing the word ¡°here¡± silently.


    Kate knew it. She would not be that good-hearted.


    ¡°Where have you been these days? I haven¡¯t been able to get in touch with you.¡±


    Jimmy¡¯s voice showed obvious anxiety and concern.


    Kate¡¯s mouth moved, and she saw Tristan¡¯s expression. His face said, I see how you reply to this. She had to harden her heart and said, ¡°I am with my friend.¡±


    The word friend sounded awkward.


    The one on the other side paused a little and said, ¡°That is OK as long as you are safe. I want to tell you something about Caroline¡­¡±


    Hearing the name, Kate¡¯s breath grew faster.


    One foot away behind her, Tristan was sitting with his back against the head of the bed and flipping through a magazine. Kate was afraid that he could hear, but she was eager to know what Jimmy found out. So she covered the phone with her other hand.


    Jimmy told Kate what he had found out the past few days. Kate listened attentively. Her heartbeat followed his narration, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.


    Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.


    It was not from what she heard from the phone, but because of the person beside her, to be precise, it was because of his hand. It came beneath her pajama tops and clung to her breast from behind.


    She looked at Tristan in horror, but he looked back like nothing was happening. When his eyes met Kate¡¯s, he merely blinked at her.


    Kate was dumbfounded. It was weird for a cruel and gloomy person like him to make such a gesture.


    And it was scary.


    Jimmy said solemnly, ¡°You still don¡¯t want to say who those people are? In that case, if your friend is alive or dead, how and why she died can nevere to light.¡±


    Kate¡¯s brain was working.


    Not having heard her response, Jimmy called her name twice, ¡°Are you there?¡±


    Her torturer winked at her to ask her to get back to the call. Kate tried in vain to avoid his hands and responded to the phone, but before Jimmy began again, she gave out a sound in pain.


    She was pinched on a sensitive part of her body without preparation.


    Kate put her hand to her mouth.


    Jimmy detected something was wrong and asked, ¡°What is the matter with you? Are you OK?¡±


    Kate could not react. Tristan would not stop his hand, and his movements became slow and evil in torturing her poor nipple.


    She knew he did it on purpose.


    Tristan wanted her to be embarrassed and break with Jimmy forever.


    This acknowledgment made her feel sorrow. Jimmy choked, and after a while, she said, ¡°Jimmy, can we talk another day?¡±


    ¡°You are busy?¡± He probably had already guessed something was wrong. This made Kate sad.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Her voice sounded like sobbing.


    ¡°OK. We will talk another day.¡±


    She hung up.


    Kate sniffed and forced back tears.


    Tristan¡¯s hand was still gripping her nipple. He asked with his hateful gentleness, ¡°Why did you stop talking? I gave you a chance. You missed it. Don¡¯t me me for not giving you a chance.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply. She didn¡¯t want to speak a word to him. She tried to pull his hand away but failed, which only made her breast hurt more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Tristan ordered.


    His other hand followed and held her other breast as he said, ¡°More even this way.¡±


    Kate flew into a rage.


    She grabbed a pillow with both hands and beat Tristan on the face, cursing him. ¡°Morbid bastard! Son of bitch! Beast!¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t expect the sudden outbreak of violence from thismb. His two hands were upied, and he received the beating.


    However, her weapon of choice was weak in lethality.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Tristan took back his hand and reacted. He grabbed the pillow from her hands and threw it away. Then he jumped up like a leopard and pressed his body against hers, staring at her with furious eyes and said insidiously, ¡°How dare you? You want to start a war?¡±


    Kate had just used all her strength, and she was breathing heavily. Her breasts moved up and down.


    Tristan¡¯s attention was drawn.


    After they struggled for a while, her top was pulled down, and part of her chest was exposed. Her creamy skin was shining under the light. Tristan was distracted by it. It reminded him of a boiled egg with the shell peeled.


    He swallowed. His hands had reached to her subconsciously to pull her clothes open. The two ces where he had pinched were reddened and looked appealing.


    Kate felt ashamed and furious at being insulted this way. She beat him wildly. After a while, she felt something hot was poking her belly. She looked down suspiciously.


    Kate looked at the lower part of his robe. It bulged against the fabric. She stared at it for a few seconds, and then she blushed and said, ¡°Sickening!¡±


    She used all her strength to push him away and crawled to the edge of the bed.


    Tristan cursed inside. Shit. He had not had this kind of desire for a very long time but was called sickening for this rare asion of hunger.

 Chapter 48: Bear With It

    The bed was big. Kate had just made her way to the edge when her ankle was caught and pulled back.


    Her body was held, and this familiar position shocked her.


    ¡°Do you want it like this? Like the baboons?¡± Tristan breathed the hot steam on her ear.


    She didn¡¯t think about the baboons or chimpanzees. She was reminded of the horrible night. His body against her back was thick, hot, and with a heavier odor thanst time.


    Kate was fixed where she was by the horror.


    After a few seconds of stalemate, Tristan carried her andid her down.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She wanted to struggle, but he had control over her wrists. Her arms rose beside her head in a position of surrender.


    The two pairs of eyes met, and both of them breathed audibly. They seemed strange to each other.


    Tristan adjusted her wrists and controlled them on top of her head with one of his hands. He said casually as he always did, ¡°This has to happen, sooner orter. You wanted it. No one to me.¡±


    And then he used one hand to undress her. First, he took off her top and then her pants. Her hip bones, not plump but shapely, and then lower, her long legs with silky skin¡­


    As soon as she was undressed, Tristan decided he wouldn¡¯t give himself another moment for hesitation.


    He took a deep breath and split her legs. He put himself against the softest ce of hers.


    There was trembling when their bodies made contact. One was hot, and one was cold; one was hard, and one was soft. Even Tristan, as an old campaigner, eximed inside when he experienced the subtle feeling at the moment of contact.


    He advanced without hesitation.


    Kate scowled. ¡°It hurts!¡±


    ¡°Bear with it.¡±


    And then he got through to the bottom. The person beneath him gave a suppressed moaning.


    The pain apanied by shame caused a great impact on her. The ugly thing was inside her. It was hot and kept swelling, like a thing that was alive and moving and brought nausea to her stomach.


    And then she was overwhelmed with pain.


    It hurt when it moved in and hurt even more when it went out. Shit. Kate was furious. She had nowhere to vent her anger, and she started kicking and beating.


    Tristan was immersed in a magical experience as he was exploring an unknown virginnd. His heart had a surge of excitement, and he felt an indescribable rxation.


    Kate¡¯s sudden fighting disturbed his enjoyment, and he grabbed her ankle and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t move. The more you move, the more it hurts.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t listen to him and kept kicking and scratching like a wild beast.


    ¡°Will you stop?¡± Tristan snapped. She was scared and stopped. Seeing her grinding her teeth with tears in her eyes, he had mixed feelings in his heart.


    He lifted her chin and asked, ¡°So, you are justified?¡±


    ¡°I ask you. What did you and the policeman talk about?¡±


    ¡°You forgot the trade? What did I tell you? If you breach the agreement, I will get it back from your families.¡±


    ¡°Remember, the more you know, the faster you die.¡±


    He got the effect he wanted, Kate stopped moving. Her body rxed and opened to him. He stopped talking and focused on the movement.


    He could feel that she was not in the state, and he put his hand to the ce where they joined together and rubbed until it was moist and smooth.


    Tristan woke up with the first light of the morning. The curtain wasn¡¯t drawn closed at night, and the sun shone on the bed.


    Though his energy was consumed and he had sleptte, he didn¡¯t feel tired. Instead, he felt refreshed and energetic. He thought of what Ed had said about rain after a long drought.


    The dew of rain.


    He sat by the bed and stared at Kate.


    Her body was curled up. Her long hair spread around the pillow. Some sunlight fell on her face, and her soft and tiny hairs were visible.


    She looked so young. Her nose crinkled because a strand of hair fell on it. He picked it up and pushed it to the back of her head.


    His fingertip moved to the corner of her mouth and touched it softly. Except for the time in the supermarket, he had not seen her smile.


    He had seen her cry many times.


    Last night she cried after he finished. He wiped her tears with his hand and touched something sticky. He was annoyed and amused, thinking she found him sickening.


    She was sickening herself. Luckily he only used his hand.


    After he got dressed and was leaving for work, Tristan went back to the bedroom again. He pulled the curtains closed.


    When he was driving on the way, his hand habitually tapped the steering wheel until he could think sensibly. Thinking ofst night, he thought it was a little too early. This was not his original n.


    Since he had grown up, self-disciplines had be the most important part of his life. If a person wanted to achieve something, he needed to ovee the weakness he had.


    A man could have many weaknesses, a hunger for power and money, for women, for love, etc. If one could not restrain themselves, the things that brought them happiness might run wild and bring them to the mire.


    He had seen too many examples of this.


    Self-control had be his instinct for years.


    Of course, there were exceptions sometimes. But exceptions could not be too often.


    The phone vibrated. He gave a nce at the number and curved his lips¡ªanother fiery horse.

 Chapter 49: He Was Puzzled

    Jimmy had a special gift. He could sleep well even if the sky had copsed, as long as it was not falling on him. He slept well and ate well.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    He had been chubby when he was a child. Piggy was his nickname.


    It was the second night in 26 years that Jimmy could not sleep.


    The first time was when his idol, the policeman who helped his family, died in a traffic ident. He could not ept it.


    He felt like he was being kept in an airtight tank and could not break out even if he broke his head. It was the time he started to feel impotent.


    But he was a few years younger then. After running in the football field for a dozenps, Jimmy was exhausted and rxed.


    This time he wasn¡¯t sure why he could not sleep. After talking with Kate, he kept quiet for a long time. He seemed to hear the breathing sounds of a man. They were grown up, and it was hard to guess what they were doing. He was puzzled.


    Did Kate have a boyfriend?


    Was it the big boy she protected in the bar? Or somebody else? It wasn¡¯t until now that he realized how little he really knew her.


    He doubted his own reaction. It was like the fits of a drug addict or suffocated.


    What rtionship could he and Kate be regarded as? It was merely friendship.


    He helped her and appreciated her ethics. He liked to chat with her because she was a good listener. What else was there?


    Jimmy didn¡¯t want to explore more into this. He got up to y online games. Since he was transferred to the criminal section, he rarely had enough time to sleep.


    He hadn¡¯t touched online games for a long time. He missed them. So he spent the night with soda, cigarettes, and online games until early morning when he yawned and slept until noon.


    On his way to the police station, Jimmy got a call from Linda.


    She apologized sincerely. ¡°I am sorry forst time. I brought you some trouble. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    He was surprised. Linda was spoiled and had a hot temper. She rarely spoke so seriously. He expected some big news. And soon it came.


    ¡°I am getting married.¡±


    Jimmy was startled. It was too fast, but he still said earnestly, ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Just a few days ago, I couldn¡¯t imagine who could be the groom except you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I just want to tell you, I never said I didn¡¯t support your dream. I just¡­¡± She paused a while and continued, ¡°I was afraid of losing you. Your policeman uncle¡­When I went to his funeral with you, I saw his wife¡¯s despair. I was scared that one day I would be like her. I am sorry. I am a coward.¡±


    After he hung up the phone, Jimmy rubbed his face.


    He recalled the age of innocence, the rtions between friendship and love.


    And he recalled what his uncle told him: that if he chose this road, he should realize what he would have to sacrifice. You might not have the honor you dream of, but you would have countless moments of depression and sorrow.


    When he almost arrived at the office, Linda called again. ¡°Well, I forgot to tell you one thing. Someone called your cell phone when I was at your grandma¡¯s house. I answered it. It was a girl. I had not given up on you then, so I told her you were in the shower.¡±


    Jimmy recalled. He was in the shower after a few hours of driving. But that reply by another woman might sound¡­¡± Did she leave her name?¡±


    ¡°No, she just said she was a friend of yours.¡±


    Jimmy had a lot of friends, but he thought of only one person by instinct. He dialed the number, but it was busy.


    Kate got a call from An saying that Max hadn¡¯t been righttely. He was too quiet, not speaking, always looking nkly out of the window. He was doing well in the contest that had just ended.


    The originally sure-win schrship had been lost. Kate was worried. When Tristan came back in the evening, she said she wanted to go to see her brother, and he agreed readily.

 Chapter 50: A Good Rival

    The next day Kate saw Max. He was gaunt and mncholy. His changes made her feel pain inside.


    Sitting on a bench on the campus, looking at Ed standing by the car in the distance and seeing Kate, who was wearing new clothes, Max asked carefully, ¡°Kate, now you and that man live together?¡±


    Kate nodded.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Max said sorrowfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Everything will be over soon.¡± She used these words that she wasn¡¯t even sure of herself tofort her brother. The term three years emerged in her mind.


    ¡°Is he good to you?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Does he have a family?¡±


    She was startled. She never thought of that. Maybe. She remembered seeing the ring on his finger, but he hadn¡¯t worn it recently. She was not sure when he stopped wearing it.


    Max sighed, ¡°I searched online. No valuable information is found about him. He is mysterious.¡±


    The mor on the football field was in contrast with the silence of the brother and sister.


    After some time, Max took Kate to their canteen and bought one of Kate¡¯s favorite foods: pumpkin chowder. Sitting at the table next to them were some boisterous students. They were gossiping andughing, which made Kate and Max¡¯s table seem extremely quiet byparison.


    After a while, Kate found the girls at that table stole a look at Max frequently. She said with surprise, ¡°They are checking you out.¡±


    Max blushed and said, ¡°Stupid girls. Maniacs.¡± From his tone, this was not unusual to him.


    Kateughed, and the depression on her face was assuaged. They talked casually while eating. Talking about her life now, Kate identally mentioned that she was staying idle without going to work.


    Max said, ¡°He will not let you go to work?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It is too much!¡±


    Kate smiled, ¡°Now I have time to read some books. I didn¡¯t have time before.¡±


    ¡°Then does he agree you should go to college?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply. She didn¡¯t dare to mention it to him. ¡°I can learn by myself.¡±


    Max felt sorry for her seeing her downy it. He suggested, ¡°I can take you to the library. You can find any books you want.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Kate had both expectations and worries. ¡°Will it be okay?¡±


    Max suppressed his sorrow and said, ¡°Of course it is okay. I will get a library card for you.¡±


    At dusk, two men were sitting at the table in the front yard ying chess. The sunlight fell on the red geraniums and the swing on the porch.


    Jessie brought the fruit sd and asked, ¡°Tie game?¡±


    Tristan said, ¡°Donald took pity on me.¡±


    Donald Hardersonughed. ¡°It is delightful!¡± He took a sip of the tea and said


    ¡°Tristan¡¯s skill is admirable. He is a good rival of mine.¡±


    Tristan said with respect, ¡°I just learned a little from my father. My skill cannotpare with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. How is your father?¡± Donald was interested.


    ¡°My father passed away many years ago,¡± Tristan said seriously.


    Donald sighed. ¡°It is a pity. I would like to y with him if I could.¡±


    ¡°I heard that you were in the army before. My father was in the army before. He learned to y chess from his bunkmates.¡±


    Donald nodded. ¡°It was good in the army. We had training in the daytime. In the evening, when we had time, we yed chess and even gambled on it. Who lost had to doundry for the winner.¡±


    The two people who were listeningughed, but the person who spoke sank into meditation and had some loneliness in his eyes.


    Fifteen minutester, Tristan stood up and said goodbye to them.


    Jessie walked with him to the gate. She said with pride, ¡°I told you you would hit it off with my dad.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t reply. He took out his cigarette and lighter and lit it. He took a deep smoke of it.


    Jessie was surprised, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t smoke.¡±


    ¡°asionally.¡± He said shortly. And he took a couple of smokes and then said, ¡°You know, I am using you.¡±


    Jessie¡¯s face changed.


    A month ago, she received a very big gift, a seaside vi. Newly built, limited edition, difficult to acquire even with high earnings. The person who sent the gift was Tristan.


    She did not feel d. She knew what it meant. But she didn¡¯t go to him for an argument. She just mailed the entitlement document back to him. The gesture showed that she refused it.


    And then her father came, and she called Tristan toe over to meet her father.

 Chapter 51: Go Wash Your Hands

    Jessie drew her mind back from her recalling and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see my father?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I did,¡± Tristan said without hesitation.


    ¡°You know, in my dad¡¯s personality, he will not have the chance to meet you in private once he starts working. You are a businessman. It is most natural that you consider it from the point of business.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t say anything, and tacitly admitted this exnation for him.


    ¡°It is the same from my point of view. There is a chance I can do something for you.¡±


    He turned to see Jessie and heard her continue, ¡°It is a value that one can use.¡± Sheughed it off.


    Tristan extinguished his cigarette and threw it into the dustbin by the road.


    ¡°If you need any help, don¡¯t hesitate to let me know.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for her reply and walked to the car.


    Jessie waited until the sound of the car engine disappeared and sighed. People said women were fickle, but men were even more fickle than women.


    Tristan was like a rock if you approached him from a distance, but as soon as you got close, he was like the wind. He was too self-protective, and tended to draw lines for everything.


    Tristan didn¡¯t get back to the office after he left Donald¡¯s house. He went to the seaside. After the sunset, the sea was a dark color, with snow-white waves rolled up in a regr span of time. He liked the seaside at this time. Almost no one could be seen on the beach.


    Here, Tristan didn¡¯t need to y any roles but his own.


    Tristan did nothing but just sit on a rock and smoke. One cigarette after another.


    After a while, he went back to his car and brought a file. He lit up and saw the me devour the paper inch by inch until it all turned into ash.


    He smiled bitterly and thought of his parents.


    After he got back to the vi, Tristan found Kate was curled up on the couch sleeping. An opened book was covering her chest. He took it up.


    It was Financial Management, with a stamp of the LACC library. He shook his head the put it aside and then wanted to carry her to the bedroom.


    She woke up when he touched her. Kate rubbed her eyes with her hand, and Tristan pulled her hand away and said, ¡°Reading is good, especially for the stupid person. But buy new ones from the store. The books in the library were dirty after being touched by so many people.¡±


    Kate still resented his dirty behavior, and she retorted, ¡°They are not dirty. Only students touched them.¡±


    Tristan was amused. ¡°Not dirty but touched by students? That book has been in countless hands. Do you know what they did before they touched the book? Some of them might have some strange disease.¡±


    Kate thought he was dirty in his heart, so he would regard others as the same. He himself had a strange disease. She didn¡¯t want to bother arguing with him.


    So she yawned and walked to the bedroom. Tristan followed and asked, ¡°You have had a shower?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Go wash your hands.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and walked slowly to the bathroom.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Tristan sighed. It was strange that with somebody to talk to, he felt much better at home.


    In the evening, Jessie went to her father¡¯s study and asked him about his opinion on Tristan.


    Donald admitted Tristan¡¯s manners and capability were impable. But he changed his tone and said, ¡°But are you sure you can rein him in all the time?¡±


    Jessie said disapprovingly, ¡°Why should I rein him? Men are to be admired, not to be reined in.¡±


    Donald didn¡¯t agree with her, and he asked again, ¡°How much do you know about him?¡±


    Jessie told him what she knew about Tristan. Donald still shook his head. ¡°This is what you see on the surface. He is only 35, but he has achieved a great deal. A person without a family background and¡­¡±


    ¡°His disposition made him so. He has courage, strategies, and insight.¡± Jessie supported the person she admired.


    After his daughter left, Donald frowned. He didn¡¯t tell her that the city prosecutors received usations against the Chasin group for illegalmercial conduct.


    It was because of this he came back from vacation ahead of schedule.

 Chapter 52: Don鈥檛 Move

    Kate had a dream.


    In the dream, Kate was only five or six years old, and a ferocious ck dog, muchrger than her, was chasing her. Kate fell down atst,pletely exhausted.


    The dog opened its big mouth wide and reached its spooky white fangs to her throat. Kate was so scared that she put her hands over her eyes, but the anticipated pain did note. Instead, it was reced by the contact of something coarse and wet.


    Kate looked up in surprise and found what was licking her. An extraordinarily broad tongue was moving against her face.


    Darkness came to her eyes, and the world disappeared.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Kate opened her eyes suddenly and saw the bedroom with dim lighting through the half-closed curtains.


    She took a deep breath, knowing it was just a dream. But the next second, she detected warm and wet breaths blowing on the back of her neck. She looked down. A robust arm was around her waist.


    Kate was not used to this intimacy. She tried to move away from the arm, but it clung to her tightly. She felt ufortable and squirmed like a worm.


    A husky voice warned her, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Tristan opened his eyes to see a head of full and sleek hair, among which stood a fair and tender ear. And below, her slim neck and smooth shoulders.


    Thendscape of her breasts was covered by a conservative pajama top. He nced at the clock at the bedside table and rose a little, giving her a bite on the shoulder.


    Kate was taken aback because it took a few seconds for Tristan to release his mouth. She scowled. ¡°Why did you bite me?¡±


    ¡°I am hungry,¡± Tristan said lightly. He got up and went to the bathroom casually.


    Water sshing sounds came from the bathroom. Kate sat up and checked her shoulder. There were teeth marks on it. She cursed. ¡°Morbid.¡±


    Tristan received a call as soon as he stepped into his office. He listened until the other line was finished talking and said, ¡°OK. I knew somebody doubted me. Let them investigate. We will cooperate, either in finance or other departments. We will be supportive. Give them whatever information they need¡­Thank you very much for letting me know. I am prepared for it.¡±


    ¡°By the way, my art collector friend sent me a piece of work by M. I am not sure if it is genuine. Could you check it for me? Great. I will have it sent to your ce.¡±


    Putting down the phone, Tristan went to stand by the window. It was a 180-degree French window with a vast view. He designed this office so that he could look around almost half of the city.


    He had seen the city change over the past twenty years. Landscapes changed in front of his window. From here, he always felt the illusion that he had traveled through time.


    There was an emptynd in the distance, just out of his field of view. Tristan had an image in his mind. The foundation had been built, and the construction was going on. If this office was his kingdom, then that was his battlefield. All these had feudal appeal to a man with ambition.


    Drawing his attention back from outside the window, Tristan returned to his desk and dialed the extension of his secretary. ¡°Can you, the Vice GM,e to my office?¡±


    At 9 pm, when Tristan left his office and drove out of the parking lot, he saw anky shadow under the road light.


    The headlights revealed a familiar face. He asked the driver to stop the car. The person walked close, and he recognized it was Kate¡¯s brother, though he had only seen him once.


    Tristan slid down the window and asked, ¡°You waiting for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want to talk with you.¡±


    They stood under the road light. They were almost the same height.


    Max took a deep breath and said seriously, ¡°How can you let my sister go? I will pay you back the money. Starting from now, I will pay until it is done. You can add interest.¡±


    Tristan said in no hurry, ¡°She is with me now.¡±


    There was a pain in Max¡¯s eyes. ¡°A person like you can have any woman you like. My sister, she is not suitable to live a life like this.¡±


    Tristan turned his lips down. ¡°What right do you have to negotiate with me?¡±


    ¡°I am her brother.¡± Max looked into Tristan¡¯s eyes without fear. ¡°I cannot see my sister suffering.¡±


    The answer made the smile on Tristan¡¯s face freeze, and he replied after a pause, ¡°OK. I will give you a chance.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay for money. I want to y a game with you. If you win, your sister is free to go; if you lose, then anything between she and I has nothing to do with you anymore.¡±


    Max widened his eyes. ¡°Really? What is it?¡±


    Tristan said, ¡°Pick something you are good at. Like basketball?¡±


    ¡°OK.¡± Max agreed without hesitation. He was a lead yer on the school basketball team. He didn¡¯t believe he could not beat this old man.

 Chapter 53: I Won鈥檛 Restrict Your Freedom

    Max got back to school with full confidence.


    He asked An, who had shared both weal and woe with him, to be a witness.


    But the next day, Max¡¯s confidence faltered a little when he saw Tristan walking into LACC¡¯s basketball court. It was like a wind blowing across the smooth surface of theke, a w in the water suddenly appeared.


    An served, and Max jumped up and grabbed the ball. An cheered for his quickness. Tristan didn¡¯t change his face.


    Even when Max stole the ball and scored several times in a row, he didn¡¯t frown once. Max was happy with his performance, but he was surprised at Tristan¡¯sposure. He revealed no true feelings if he didn¡¯t want to.


    Before long, Tristan gained an advantage. He sank three 3-point shots with incredible form. He soon tied the score. Max started to feel anxious and lost a few points. He then realized that Tristan had courage and strategies. He started to fight back.


    When the first half was over, Max was all sweaty and was losing to Tristan.


    An gave him water to drink and said, ¡°This man is not an easy rival. You are in great danger.¡±


    Max took a long drink and wiped his mouth. He said in a low voice, ¡°I cannot lose it.¡±


    However, in the next half, it was like Tristan had taken performance-enhancing drugs and did terrifically. When the whistle blew, Max lost inevitably, and sighed, feeling resigned, ¡°he fucking boomed me.¡±


    Tristan walked to Max as he sat on the floor and said, ¡°So you will ept the consequences?¡±


    Max was indignant, but he stood up and said yes.


    Tristan took the coat Ed passed to him and said, ¡°You were too eager to win. It became your weak point.¡±


    ¡°You already knew the result before we yed?¡±


    Tristan raised his eyebrows. ¡°The more you know your rival, the better the odds.¡±


    When Tristan was going to leave the gym, a voice sounded from behind him. ¡°Please-¡± the boy said with difficulty, ¡°Be nice to her.¡±


    Tristan stopped and turned back. ¡°Is this your request?¡±


    ¡°If you want something, fight for it. The pleading is useless.¡±


    On their way back, Ed said, ¡°Boss, you looked like brothers-inw.¡±


    Tristan still fixed his eyes on the view outside the window. He spoke calmly. ¡°In some points, I am dealing with the unfinished job you left me. This could be big, could be small. And he is still a kid. He would have psychological scarring for his whole life if this was not properly handled.¡±


    ¡°What if, I say what if, you lose?¡±


    ¡°Not possible.¡± Tristan sneered.


    ¡°Arrogance.¡± Ed thought inside. After a while, Ed added, ¡°Are you¡­seeing somebody¡¯s shadow in him?¡±


    But the reply was silence.


    When Tristan went back to the vi, he was still in the basketball outfit. He saw the surprise in Kate¡¯s eyes when he entered the bedroom. ¡°What, you didn¡¯t know I ball?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply and looked down at her book again.


    Tristan took off the coat and walked to the bathroom but turned his head back soon. ¡°Come here. Take a shower with me.¡±


    ¡°I have already taken one,¡± Kate replied hastily.


    ¡°Then take one more.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I need to help you?¡± He turned back.


    It turned out that she did need his help. Kate stuck to the mattress like a tree frog that had suction cups on its feet. But Tristan carried her to the bathroom in the end.


    Tristan put her down on the floor and turned on the spray nozzle. The warm water sprayed down on both of them.


    Even though they still had clothes on, Kate was in a panic. She kept her back close to the wall and didn¡¯t give up.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°I really had taken a shower.¡±


    Tristan looked at her eyes like a shocked animal. He did not say anything but bent to bite her earlobe.


    Kate gave out a cry but shut up tactfully. He didn¡¯t really bite her but just kept her earlobe in his mouth, which was even worse.


    Tristan had this idea this morning when he woke up. He ravaged her with his lips and tongue and murmured, ¡°You will have to take a second shower anyway.¡±


    Then his hands started moving. He stripped off her clothes in a sh. Kate knew she could not escape this fate and had to close her eyes.


    When she was fixed on the tiles, and he got into her, it didn¡¯t seem to hurt as much asst time, probably because of the running water. But it was still ufortable, feeling sore, swollen, and with water getting in and out. Even the sound of water was embarrassing to her.


    By Kate¡¯s notions, this should only happen in darkness, in the bed, under the nket. In any other circumstances, especially in the bathroom, this was unbing.


    She didn¡¯t dare to open her eyes. She felt that Tristan was naked. And she didn¡¯t want to see his body. In a trance, she heard him say, ¡°Are you bored at home these days?¡±


    Home? Oh, his home.


    ¡°From tomorrow, you can go out, but make sure you don¡¯t go to see the policeman. If you don¡¯t get in trouble for me, I won¡¯t restrict your freedom.¡±


    Hearing that, Kate opened her eyes but identally saw his naked breasts and turned her eyes away hurriedly. The next second she eximed, ¡°You didn¡¯t wear one?¡±


    Tristan asked on purpose, ¡°Wear what?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer but blushed, not knowing out of shyness or because of the steam.


    He gave her a harder push, and she cried out. He then said, ¡°I know what I am doing.¡±


    Kate cursed inside. ¡°Know what you are doing? Get that disgusting thing on my legs? Morbid.¡±

 Chapter 54: It Is You

    Kate sat on a bench in the square, enjoying her freedom.


    Freedom was something that the existence of can never be felt except by a soul who has been imprisoned.


    Early in the morning, refusing to go with the driver, Kate walked herself along the coastal avenue to the nearest bus stop. She felt the hard stic seat of the bus was familiar andfortable to her.


    She went to the supermarket first. Kate had not seen her co-workers for many days, and she missed them. She even missed the shelves with various kinds of merchandise.


    Kate didn¡¯t say anything about her current situation, but even a fool could see through it. In a prosperous city like LA, the story of rags to riches had yed out millions of times. Somebody showed admiration, somebody said congrattions.


    But she was jealous of them. Every cent they made was clean. They slept with a clean conscience.


    John, who had broken up with his girlfriend, was there too. They said he had juste back to work. He still was not in the mood for work. And he wasn¡¯t so casual and well acquainted with Kate, let alone making jokes with her.


    Kate realized that those days when she had been one of them were gone forever.


    Then John apanied her to her house.


    Her heart had all kinds of feeling mixed together, standing in the apartment she had lived in for a few months.


    She seemed to hear theughter that night when Max first came. They cooked seafood andy on their beds with a wall between them, and talked all night about dreams and painful memories.


    And she recalled, she lost her virginity in that bedter.


    Kate opened the wardrobe, and she was at a loss. She wasn¡¯t sure where these things would go, as well as where she was heading.


    John, who stood aside, said, ¡°Then don¡¯t move.¡±


    Seeing Kate¡¯s puzzled face, he said, ¡°That man, you know how long you will be with him? In case things change, it is better to have somewhere to stay.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°This apartment belongs to our family.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Kate was startled.¡±No one needs it anyway. You can keep your things here. Some day if you feel upset, you cane here to stay for a while.¡±


    Kate¡¯s eyes reddened. John said frankly, ¡°I was angry when I heard about it. But on second thought, it was not easy for you. Everyone has the right to choose the life they want. In my mind, you will always be a good girl.¡±


    Kate couldn¡¯t help crying out. She had an outburst of all the pain and sorrow she suppressed inside. John patted her on the back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡±


    Kate treated John to lunch, and afterward, John went back to work. Kate got on the bus again, and her delight for the regained freedom was gone. She had nowhere to go. She followed a crowd of people getting off at one stop. And here she came.


    It was square-built justst year. A lot of huge and unique sculptures, vast grasnd, musical fountains, giant trees, and shrubs formed in various shapes.


    Kate found a seat to sit down and be the audience of the live show.


    Some seniors were walking or sunbathing. Young people were lying on the grass chatting or reading, or ying with their cell phone. Kids were running around. It was a harmonious world.


    Kate sat there for hours, from afternoon to dusk, until her phone rang. It was Tristan.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    She thought about it and told him the name of the ce.


    Just after she hung up, a voice came from her back. ¡°I saw you in the car from a distance.¡±


    She turned and saw Tristan.


    He looked delighted. He asked with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel cold sitting here?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It is not cold. The sun is warm.¡±


    ¡°The sun has set. And the wind is freezing.¡±


    He moved closer to her and hugged her. ¡°Not cold in this way.¡±


    His breath had the smell of alcohol and smoke. She found he was a little different today. His eyes were droopy, and his attitude was too good to be true. It wasn¡¯t like him.


    Tristan kissed her on the earlobe and asked, ¡°What did you do today?¡±


    It sounded more like an interrogation than the chatting of lovers.


    Kate stiffened and replied to his questions. Tristan was not in the mood to listen to her; instead, he looked to the distance and gave her a pinch on the cheek from time to time while his hand clung onto her shoulder.


    Kate felt awkward and nervous, worrying the drunk would do something indecent. She dodged a little and asked, ¡°Are we going back now?¡±


    ¡°Stay with me here for a while.¡±


    Tristan behaved himself and sat with his arm on her shoulder, looking at the crowd in the middle of the square.


    A boy about three or four years old was learning to roller-skate. He wore a helmet, kneecaps, and elbow pads and slid across the ground airily. There was a step about a dozen feet away, and he didn¡¯t notice it or slow down, so he fell on his face.


    Kate gave out a cry when he fell. His grandma ran over and helped him up. ¡°Are you ok, baby?¡± ¡°I am alright, grandma.¡± The boy said.


    Kate smiled at the cozy kinship. She felt he fixed his eyes on her face. Her smile faded, and her stare moved away.


    ¡°I had a social engagement today and drank a little too much. I was on my way back to the office when I suddenly caught sight of you sitting here.¡± Tristan exined why he showed up here, or he might be just talkative after drinking.


    He held her hand and frowned. ¡°What season is it? Why is your hand so freezing?¡±


    ¡°My hands are always cold in the winter.¡±


    He grabbed her other hand and wrapped them with his big hands, and squeezed them. His hands were dry and warm like a heater. Kate felt some kind of current flow from her fingertips to her body.


    It was weird. But it was probably an illusion.


    But this intimate behavior still made Kate ufortable. Her body stiffened. And she shivered sometimes. He asked again, ¡°Feeling cold?¡±


    She replied, yes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back.¡± Tristan pulled her up. He was probably drunk. He staggered when he stood up and moved to Kate¡¯s side, and she supported him with her arms instinctively.


    When they turned back, Kate was dumbfounded.


    A few yards away stood a person. He was looking at her in surprise.


    Jimmy. It was Jimmy, wearing civilian clothes.


    ¡°It is you.¡± He said.

 Chapter 55: You Don鈥檛 Care About Her Anymore?

    Kate¡¯s mind went nk.


    She wasn¡¯t ready to face Jimmy with her new identity, let alone as she was apanied by her ¡°owner.¡±


    Swifter than her, the man whose hand was around her waist held her closer to him and asked her naturally, ¡°Is this your friend?¡±


    Also swifter than her, Jimmy stepped forward and said, ¡°You are Mr. Fox of Chasin Group? I am Jimmy York, sergeant of the North Section of LA Criminal Police.¡±


    Tristan seemed to remember suddenly, ¡°You are Sergeant York, who helped Kate many times? d to meet you.¡±


    The two men shook hands naturally.


    Kate looked at them nkly. She felt that the two men, especially the one who stood beside her, were excellent actors. They didn¡¯t need her help to start the show at all.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Tristan said, ¡°I have to thank Kate.¡±


    ¡°You are wee. And Kate thanked me.¡± Jimmy looked at Kate and said shortly.


    ¡°Really. How did she thank you?¡± Tristan looked at Kate curiously.


    Kate said gloomily, ¡°I had lunch with him.¡±


    Tristanughed and med her lovingly, ¡°How could you do that? He did you a great favor!¡± And he turned to Jimmy; ¡°We need to invite you to dinner someday. You muste, Sergeant York.¡±


    ¡°You are too generous, Mr. Fox.¡± Jimmy seemed not to be able to y that role anymore. ¡°Can I have a word with Kate?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Tristan said readily.


    He patted Kate on the shoulder and said, ¡°I will wait for you in the car.¡± And then he strolled to the car, without showing any hesitation.


    Kate watched him leave in surprise and drew her attention back to Jimmy. Her eyes met Jimmy¡¯s, which were a little exploring andcked gentleness as usual. Her heart ached.


    ¡°Now you are with him?¡± Jimmy asked first.


    She nodded.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Kate couldn¡¯t find the answer and heard him ask again, ¡°Because of money?¡±


    She paused a little and nodded.


    ¡°How long have you known each other?¡±


    Kate recalled and raised her head. ¡°Are you interrogating me?¡±


    Jimmy realized he was too pushy. ¡°Sorry. I just¡­just feel it is difficult to ept.¡±


    ¡°I have known him for nearly one year. Do you want to ask how I had the chance to get to know him? Because he came to the supermarket, I worked to buy things. He is rich why I¡­¡± she smiled sarcastically. ¡°I alwaysck money.¡±


    She lowered her eyes to look at her hands that wrung together and added, ¡°Isn¡¯t thismon? It was not strange to happen to me either.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t know how she did it. Without a script, she yed the role sessfully. But she had also reached the limit and had to end the conversation.


    ¡°I have to go. He is waiting for me.¡±


    And she didn¡¯t even look back at Jimmy as she turned back to go.


    She just walked the first step when she heard him say, ¡°I called you several times these days. Is it because of this that you didn¡¯t answer the call? And you mailed the uniform to me. Is it also because of this?¡±


    Her eyes felt sore, but she suppressed them and nodded. Realizing that he might not see her nodding, she said out loud, ¡°I am different now. It is better to do it that way.¡±


    Jimmy was speechless.


    He thought women¡¯s mode of thinking was intricate. Linda¡¯s sudden change and sh marriage, Kate¡¯s change from an innocent girl to the woman of a rich man¡­


    He felt suffocated.


    Seeing that Kate could not wait to leave, Jimmy thought of what he wanted to tell her, raising his voice, ¡°What about Caroline?¡±


    Kate stopped.


    Jimmy caught up with her and said in a voice only she could hear, ¡°You don¡¯t care about her anymore?¡±


    This was the moment in which Kate wanted to tell the truth. She wasn¡¯t too stupid to see the clues.


    If the facts were put together, the truth woulde to light¡­but Kate looked to the car waiting. It was dark and shining, outstanding even in the darkness. It was like a beast that was on alert and ready to make a fatal attack at any moment.


    She had experienced its speed and cruelty.


    Kate took a deep breath and said coldly, ¡°I cannot care so much. She was my friend, and she helped me. But I have my family to protect. And I need to support them; I need to survive and lead a better life myself.¡±


    And then she left no time for him to say anything further and walked across the road without seeing the traffic light.

 Chapter 56: I Am Very Satisfied

    Jimmy reached his hand, but it stopped in the air.


    What was he to her? Now he was her friend, not a policeman.


    He couldn¡¯t interrogate her.


    As her friend, he had to watch her make her choice.


    Kate walked through traffic and reached the ck Audi. The door was opened from inside, and she bent down and got in. The door mmed. And Jimmy could see Tristan holding her shoulder and pushing her closer to him. She leaned on Tristan obediently.


    Jimmy closed his eyes. It was not his imagination. It was what really happened in his face. He thought it was someone else at first sight of her when she turned back with a man holding her waist.


    He didn¡¯t feel pain then, like when you were stabbed in the heart, you didn¡¯t feel the pain at first. Now he stood and felt his heart was aching.


    Three years ago, he helped Kate for the first time, and he categorized her as the same kind of person as himself. They stuck to something they believe in, but now she gave up so suddenly.


    If she would give up what she believes in for money, why bother to take so much trouble and such a long time? He was standing in the middle of a crossroads and seeing Kate take another path.


    The cell phone in his pocket vibrated, and he snapped back to reality. It was his superintendent. They had new missions.


    The new mayor had just arrived one week ago, and he instructed the gangster problems to be solved as soon as possible. There were rumors about gangs involved in drug trafficking in LA.


    Jimmy¡¯s brain switched to working mode immediately. He reported to his chief on their work today: no substantial clues. But they would keep an eye on them.


    After he hung up, Jimmy looked to the empty roadside across the street. He thought perhaps it was not totally a clueless day.


    The Audi drove smoothly, and both passengers closed their eyes and took a rest. Kate was immersed in an emotional sea of sadness, guilt, rage, and disgust with herself for being powerless and selfish.


    She turned to see the initiator.


    Before she drew her attention back, the pair of eyes opened suddenly. They were dark and sharp.


    Tristan said casually, ¡°You look like you are going to devour me.¡±


    Kate moved her eyes away. She hated him and wanted to kill him or die with him together, but she didn¡¯t have the courage.


    This self-acknowledgement made her even more resentful.


    After a long beat of silence, Tristan said again, ¡°Your behavior was good just now. I am very satisfied.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Kate turned to the window and closed her eyes, sitting like a sculpture.


    ¡°Forget him and everything in the past.¡±


    After making this order, he reached his hand to grab Kate¡¯s, but as soon as he touched her, she threw him away. He grabbed her again, and she threw it away again.


    Tristan raised his eyebrows and reached his hand to turn her shoulder to him. Kate fought continuously. She turned back to the window once he loosened her.


    Tristan reached his hand to her chin and forced her to face him.


    Her face was frozen, and her shining green eyes looked directly into his. Her long eyshes were trembling, revealing her emotions. Tristan didn¡¯t say anything. After staring at her for some time, he tilted his head and pressed his lips on hers.


    Feeling the touch of different temperatures, texture, and scent brought with his lips, Kate realized that Tristan was kissing her. She fought instinctively, but he had one hand on her chin and the other hand on the back of her head so she could not move.


    A smooth, warm, flexible thing went into her mouth. She was in a rage and bit it without thinking. She tasted blood, but that man didn¡¯t escape or utter a sound. He just continued to ravage her mouth.


    When his tongue finally retreated, he gave her lips a hard bite. He took revenge.


    After this violent invasion, Kate leaned on his arm weakly and listened to his loud heart beating and her own panting.


    Her mind went nk, and her heart was empty, as her soul had been sucked, and she was only a shell.

 Chapter 57: You Suspect Her?

    In the president¡¯s office, Chapman sat in front of his boss¡¯s desk and reported his work in the past few days. In the end, he eximed that he had finally sent the gods away.


    The gods were the investigation team with five members. They have been stationed in theirpany for five days and required all kinds of documents, but luckily they didn¡¯t find anything they expected.


    Thepany had had to arrange to cooperate with the gods, serve them exquisite food, and provide luxurious amodations, and send each person an appropriate gift.


    ¡°Did you find out who sent that letter?¡± Tristan asked gloomily.


    Chapman looked awkward and said, ¡°Not yet. The man was cunning. The letter is now in Mayor Harderson¡¯s hand. The man in the police only had a look at it. No more chance to find out more clues.¡±


    Tristan kept silent for a while and then said slowly, ¡°Even though they didn¡¯t find out anything, but this happened as soon as Mayor Harderson took office, it would give him an unpleasant impression. We are still bidding for a few municipal projects. Sometimes sess or not is only the difference of a thread. That might be what they are aiming at.¡±


    Chapman nodded to agree. And then he said jokingly, ¡°Well, if you marry Miss Harderson, then you don¡¯t have to worry about the Mayor¡¯s impression on us. Father-inw surely will support you.¡±


    Tristan squinted at him and said, ¡°I have been in this business for so many years. If I still need a woman¡¯s help, it would be pathetic.¡±


    ¡°But Miss Harderson is an awesomedy. And you have known her for so long. If you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Tristan interrupted him, ¡°You think I am too heartless?¡±


    Chapman hesitated. He was a tactful person. He really thought it was stupid to give up such a good opportunity.


    Tristan turned serious and said, ¡°You know the term loss limit. Sometimes cruelty is kindness.¡±


    Knowing his boss¡¯ personality that as long as he made up his mind, no persuasion would work, Chapman changed the subject,¡±How is Kate?¡±


    Tristanughed lightly, ¡°Not too good, not too bad. Still having tantrums.¡±


    Chapman could tell the difference in his views on the two women. He said, ¡°That girl is good. She is a rare species in this materialistic world.¡±


    Rare species, Tristan repeated in his heart and felt amused.


    Chapman felt a little worried instead. ¡°In fact, to keep Kate beside you, it is good for both your personal life and business.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°You suspect her?¡±


    Chapman said seriously, ¡°Doesn¡¯t look very likely, but you know, whoever has a little possibility cannot be excluded from suspicion. It is a time bomb if it is not found.¡±


    After Chapman left, Tristan was still sitting on the chair, reflecting what he said.


    Chapman had thought about this when he schemed it. However, he himself never suspected her. Kate had told him that she didn¡¯t see the thing in the envelope and he believed her.


    He almost forgot the thing he was most stingy to give was trust.


    Now it had been proven that she wasn¡¯t that honest, especially about something rted to the policeman.


    If one were to list Kate¡¯s merits, honesty should be listed first. The second was epting whatever life gave her.


    She had survived several big changes since she came to this city a few years ago. However, this time was the most subversive change to her both mentally and physically.


    Luckily, she had a sieve-like brain that was different from normal people, which could screen the elements that caused pain in the shortest time. She took a few days to figure out a conclusion. No matter how nice a person was, he could not avoid trouble or misfortune if he was weak.


    The reason why she was in this mire was that she was too weak.


    She had too many things to protect and too few resources to use. She sold her consciencest time and body this time.


    What else could she sell in the future? She had to make herself stronger.


    Since Kate made up her mind, she took out the books. The only advantage of this life as she got a lot of time to use. She needed to learn some skills, not only to support herself but also to enable her to live with self-esteem in thisplicated and perilous world.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    The next day she received a gift that gave her a leg up.

 Chapter 58: The Gift

    The gift was a notebookputer. And with it, aputer desk, bookshelf, table light, etc. Kate watched the delivery guys in and out, moving the furniture and changing the empty room into a study. Laura instructed the workers to install the curtains and asked her if she likes the color of them.


    She was puzzled, and Laura said, ¡°This will be your study. Mr. Fox didn¡¯t tell you? He might want to give you a surprise.¡±


    The room was fixed and cleaned. Kate sat down at the desk. The color was her favorite, and the logo was a bitten apple. She took a deep breath and pressed the power button. At night, Tristan had note back yet. Kate was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Shepartmentalized things. But when it came to Tristan, it was not easy to deal with. She had mixed feelings about him, anger, hatred, and terror.


    She was debating inside. She didn¡¯t know if she should thank him. She had spent half the day in the new study using theputer. It would go against her principles if she didn¡¯t say thank you. When she turned to lie on her side and bit her fingernails, Tristan came back. He took a shower and went to bed without saying anything. He looked tired and switched off the light when he got on the bed. Kate turned to lie on her back and kept a little distance from him. She had the prediction that if she kept in this way, she could not sleep all night. The time passed minute by minute, and the person beside her was breathing evenly. He would fall asleep soon. Kate blurted out in a hurry, ¡°Thanks.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Tristan was half awake and half sleeping. He asked while his eyes were closed, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The study andputer.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Do you like them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡±It was weird to Kate that he ended the conversation lightly. But she did not bother to figure out the reason. She felt rxed after saying thanks and was soon overwhelmed by drowsiness. She turned her back to him and yawned and closed her eyes with ease. At the same time, the man behind her opened his eyes and looked at the back of her skull. He thought it was always the best strategy to give what one liked, either to an enemy or to a woman.


    From that day, Kate spent most of her time in the study until Laura called her to have meals. Laura said her son, who went to Harvard, never worked that hard in high school. When talking about her son, Laura would never stop. Kate couldn¡¯t help talking about her sisters and brother. They found something inmon, and their exchanges were no longer limited to time for lunch or dinner. Kate would sometimes help Laura with her work in the kitchen or bathing or feeding the cat.


    The vast vi came to life suddenly. She didn¡¯t like Lucy, the cat very much, but it liked to stick to her. Laura said it was piteous because it could not see its owner once for a half month before. When Kate was reading and using herputer, Lucy would curl up on the carpet by her feet and sleep. Sometimes she met something she didn¡¯t understand in the books and felt vexed, she would kick it softly, and it would give a cry sorrowfully, but it still would not leave her. Kate was immersed in the world of knowledge most of the time. Sometimes when she got tired, she went out for a walk on the seaside.


    The sea inte autumn looked profound and mncholy. It was most of the time peaceful, staring coldly at this world. And sometimes, it was like scheming a rampage secretly. She felt it resembled Tristan. The weather was getting colder and colder, and soon it was winter. Kate¡¯s wardrobe had a new batch of winter clothes. Tristan¡¯s secretary apanied her to buy them. The secretary was tall and pretty, like the models in magazines. And she was amiable. Kate was puzzled by what Tristan had seen in her if he had such a prettydy beside him. Did he get tired of caviar and want something homemade? Kate thought the fancy clothes were just to decorate the wardrobe because she was the so-called otaku-she even rarely went to see Max. She never expected them toe in handy.

 Chapter 59: Stop The Car

    One evening, Ed was ordered to pick Kate up, saying that the boss would have dinner with somebody. Finding her still not seeing the light, he said, ¡°Hurry up and change your clothes.¡±


    When she came downstairs after getting dressed, Ed put his hand to his forehead exaggeratedly, ¡°I say, could you please wear something a little bit more¡­expensive? Jeans and a down jacket? Are you going to the market? The aunties shopping in the market even carry a fake LV.¡±


    Then he went upstairs personally to pick her clothes. With the help of Laura, after she changed, Ed raised his eyebrows andmented, ¡°It is OK now. Not stunning, but not losing face for the boss.¡±


    When they arrived at the hotel lobby, Tristan happened to arrive.


    They went up to the restaurant, and half a dozen guests were there already. They stood up and greeted each other. Someone who had a simr ent to Kate¡¯s imed that he came from the same city as her.


    The waitress brought their food. All kinds of nice-looking seafood, meat, and desserts, made with material from either deep sea or organic farms, grown overseas and cooked by the notable chef.


    The men started talking.


    Kate caught one or two things they were saying.


    One guy was a construction material supplier, and he wanted to cooperate with Chasin Group. A pretty young girl seated next to him, about 20 years old, was his niece. She was gorgeous and smart, talkative, and straightforward.


    The construction material supplier introduced his niece as an Ivy League graduate and said jokingly, ¡°This girl admires Mr. Fox very much. She always wanted to meet Mr. Fox in person. She would not let mee alone when she heard I wasing to meet you.¡±


    Tristan said, ¡°You are not disappointed, are you?¡±


    The girl giggled.


    Another guy said, ¡°A hottie like Tristan surely loves pretty girls.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Kate curled her lips down.


    When they ordered drinks, the waitress rmended a low-alcohol wine when Kate said she didn¡¯t want alcohol. Tristan also confirmed that it was almost like juice. Kate got that wine, and it did taste like juice with fruit fragrance.


    When she raised her head, she met the girl¡¯s contemptuous nce. She had a ss of cognac in her hand.


    After some drinks, the men got drunk. The construction material supplier told his story of hunting elks.


    He invited Tristan to go to Oregon for hunting in the season. He said he once shot a female elk and found it was pregnant. The bullet went through her womb and hit the baby elk inside.


    Everyoneughed, and Kate felt her stomach start to roar, and she had to take a couple of sips of the fruit wine to suppress the sickening feeling.


    The construction material supplier detected Kate had been quiet for some time, so he introduced the dish to her when the waitress served it up. ¡°This is moose meat, roasted with many kinds of spices. Tastes wonderful. Try it.¡±


    The food looked appealing, brown-colored meat roasted to the perfect temperature, decorated with some green leaves. Tristan also smiled and said to her, ¡°Try it. It looks great.¡± And he helped cut a piece and put it onto her dish.


    Kate put down the fork and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat this.¡±


    Seeing everyone looking at her in the puzzle, she exined, ¡°Moose is a protected animal.¡±


    There was silence. And someone chuckled and said, ¡°Well, it won¡¯t be extinct if we just eat one or two of them.¡±


    ¡°If everyone thinks this way, then it won¡¯t be one or two of them.¡±


    The girl blurted out, ¡°You are quite an eco-activist. But how about the fur you are wearing? Why don¡¯t you protect that animal you wear?¡± Her uncle coughed to imply her to hush.


    Kate was taken aback. She didn¡¯t really notice the clothes in her wardrobe.


    Tristan said, ¡°It is artificial.¡±


    The crowdughed understandingly. The uncle said, ¡°Tristan is humorous.¡±


    Kate looked at him, and he just smiled lightly at her. He passed her a currant bun. She suddenly thought of once he said that whatever he gave her, she could only ept.


    On their way back, Kate felt it was stuffy inside the car. The fruit wine seemed to ferment in her stomach and made her ufortable. It also made her dizzy and excited, with a new desire to speak. She asked, ¡°Did I make you lose face just now?¡±


    Tristan replied calmly, ¡°My face cannot be lost just by one or two words.¡±


    She curled her lips. He was right. She looked down at the snow-white fur coat, rubbing it and pulling it as if to see if it was real or not.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother to study it. It is real.¡±


    ¡°What animal is it?¡±


    ¡°Fox.¡±


    She thought of the smart animal she saw on the Discovery Channel.


    Tristan said casually, ¡°If it is in the market, someone will buy it.¡±


    ¡°If nobody buys it, then it will have no market.¡±


    Tristan raised his eyebrows and looked at her quietly.


    ¡°You are all killers of animals.¡±


    ¡°The grudge has been a long time? Want to vent it out tonight? Why not take it off.¡±


    Out of his expectation, she took it off immediately and handed it to him. She only wore a thin evening dress underneath.


    Tristan frowned and reached his hand to slide down the window on her side. ¡°Just throw it.¡± He said.


    The freezing wind blew inside the car. Kate didn¡¯t expect this from him. She held the coat and paused.


    Tristan sneered. ¡°What? Cannot bear to lose it?¡± and then he muttered as if speaking to himself. ¡°Not everyone is capable of doing what he boasts about¡­¡±


    Before he finished, he heard the sound of retching.


    ¡°Stop the car.¡± She cried.

 Chapter 60: No Alcohol For You From Now On

    When the car was stopped, Tristan pushed the door open and pulled Kate, who was still vomiting, out. She was bending down and still spitting and heaving. He put his hand to his mouth but found it smelled.


    Tristan looked down and saw some vomit on his sleeve. He was annoyed so much that he almost wanted to give her a kick in the butt.


    The driver brought a bottle of water, and Tristan signaled him to give it to her directly, but he immediately changed his mind and grabbed it from him. He twisted the cap off and caught Kate by the back of her clothes rudely, and asked her to gargle.


    After she rinsed her mouth, she wanted to drink the remaining water in the bottle, but he padded on her back and ordered, ¡°Spit it out.¡±


    The car was dirty, and the driver knew his germ-phobic boss would never sit in it again. He had to call and ask somebody else to drive a car to pick them up. But it was dark, and the wind was blowing hard.


    The driver suggested they find a warmer ce to wait.


    Tristan looked at the woman who had already stood up, said angrily, ¡°Just wait here.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The driver could not say anything, so the three of them had to stay in the wind waiting.


    Kate was still grabbing the fur coat. She only wore a sleeveless dress. She seemed to want to put on the coat but found it was dirty and had to put it down.


    The tight-fitting dress outlined her body; with the 3-inch high heels and shoulder-length hair, she looked feminine. But her pose and gestures were childish.


    Tristan sighed and said to the driver, ¡°We will not wait. Let¡¯s call a cab.¡±


    Kate became sober in the cold wind. She knew she made a mistake. When she saw Tristan walking towards her, she stepped back out of fear.


    But to her surprise, he walked to the front of her and took off his coat and put it on her without saying anything.


    Kate looked at him and met his eyes. She asked in a low voice, ¡°You are not cold?¡±


    Tristan pulled the front of the coat closet for her and said, ¡°I am a man.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t know what a man being had to do with being cold, but he did look manly standing there in the wind with just a shirt.


    Then she realized he was standing in the direction from which the wind blew, and her heart got warmer.


    No cab came by for quite a long time. And there was something crystaling from the air.


    ¡°Snow!¡± Kate eximed and stretched out her hand to catch one ke. She always liked snow. She observed its shape and watched it melt in her palm. This was what she liked to do when she was a child.


    After a while, she found Tristan was quiet. She looked at him and met his eyes. He seemed to be looking like an idiot.


    He said calmly, ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen snow in your hometown?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Los Angeles rarely has snow.¡±


    ¡°What is the difference?¡±


    She hushed and put down her hands.


    They finally got into a cab. As soon as they got in, Tristan sneezed.


    ¡°You caught a cold?¡± Kate asked with concern.


    ¡°No.¡±


    She wanted to take off his coat and give it back to him, but he said, ¡°Just wear it.¡±


    The fur coat with vomitus started to smell in the confined space of the car, and Tristan frowned, ¡°You really cannot drink a drop of alcohol?¡±


    ¡°I said I couldn¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°Then it is my fault?¡±


    Kate squinted at him and said nothing.


    She thought of the time she celebrated with Jimmy on his transfer to criminal police. She had had half a ss of red wine. She didn¡¯t feel ufortable after drinking it.


    She remembered the fragrance of it now that she recalled this memory.


    What he was up to now? Did he crackdown on a lot of big cases? Tristan didn¡¯t know what she was thinking. Perhaps he thought she was in her stupid trance habitually.


    He said, ¡°No alcohol for you from now on.¡±


    The episode that night passed, and they soon forgot it.

 Chapter 61: Pick One And Buy It

    Kate thought after this experience, Tristan would not take her out. However, after a few days, he asked her to dress up and go with him to a ce.


    ¡°Do the makeup.¡± He reminded


    What Kate knew were eyebrow pencils and lipstick, but Tristan¡¯s secretary bought a lot of cosmetics for herst time.


    Most of them were with French on the packages. Kate didn¡¯t even bother to unpack them because she didn¡¯t know what they were used for.


    Tristan was impatient and thought this rare species had its disadvantage. Luckily they still had time. So he had to sit down with her by the dresser to study the things.


    He read the instructions on the package and said, ¡°You have to ask somebody to teach you tomorrow. Makeup is not just for you, but also to show some respect to others, and for basic social etiquette. You don¡¯t know?¡±


    And he added after a pause, ¡°And it can also boost your confidence.¡±


    Kate muttered in agreement, but she thought it was most disrespectful of Tristan to take her out to the meetings.


    ¡°You are studying all day long. You don¡¯t know a French word?¡±


    Kate pouted silently.


    Tristan arranged the small pots and tubes in a row in front of her. ¡°Here. Toner, serum, face cream, foundation, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, mascara cream, blusher, finishing powder, lipstick¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha, all-rounder,¡± Kate said, sarcastically inside.


    After she tried her best to use most of the items on the dresser, Tristan had picked clothes for her.


    He examined her face for a while and took up the big brush and gave her cheek two brushes as a finish. Then he picked a small pin from the jewelry box and clipped her bangs up.¡±This will do for this time.¡±


    Kate reached her hand to touch her forehead. She was not used to showing too much of it. Tristan pulled her hand away and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cover yourself up. Give yourself a sense of existence.¡±


    They said nothing on the road until the car stopped. It was an art gallery.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Kate appreciated the artistic designs of the gallery door, and Tristan said, ¡°My friend owns it. We came to support her today.¡±


    The gallery assistant saw them. He recognized Tristan and said he would go to tell his boss, but Tristan said don¡¯t bother and that they would take a look first.


    He held Kate¡¯s hand to walk around and said, ¡°Pick one and buy it.¡±


    ¡°I know nothing about this.¡± Kate put it off hastily.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know. Just buy one.¡±


    It was the first time Kate had been to this kind of ce.


    She literally thought she should not be present. The men and women there all had finery outside and artistic temperaments inside. They appreciated each piece of work with profound expression. Someone nodded, and someone exchanged with his partner in a low voice.


    ¡°How are you, Tristan? So d to see you again.¡±


    Kate turned in the direction of the voice and saw an elegant woman walking towards them, smiling.


    She had a dark green dress and a light green silk shawl wrapping around her arms casually. She was a little over 30, not particrly pretty, but very stylish.


    Tristan introduced, ¡°This is the boss here, Monica Caine. Monica, this is Kate White.¡±


    The woman stretched her hand and said, ¡°Hi, wee.¡±


    Kate shook hands with her and smiled.


    She kind of stared at her for a second and smiled back.


    Guessing they might want to exchange a few words, Kate walked away to see the work on the wall.


    Looking at her back, Monica said, ¡°No wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°No wonder what?¡± Tristan asked.


    The woman chuckled, ¡°Well, I have invited Jessie, and she said she woulde.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t make much response to that.


    Someone came in at this moment, and Tristan said, ¡°You go busy with your guest. We will look around.¡±


    He went away to look for Kate and found she was in front of an oil painting, looking very interested.


    It was a still-life work, a vase with some flowers he couldn¡¯t tell the name on a table covered with a tablecloth.


    The flowers looked messy, and the vase looked crooked as it was going to fall down. The strokes were rough and na?ve.


    The artist column was nk on the tag, but the name of the work was ¡°Fury.¡±


    Fury, probably the artist was furious when he did it, Tristan said in his mind.


    Seeing Kate still observing the work, he leaned his face close to her ear and said, ¡°You like this one?¡±


    Kate was startled by his sudden attack and gave him a stare. Tristan smiled and suppressed the desire to pinch her cheek.


    ¡°Right. It is special.¡± A voice came from their back, and they turned to it.

 Chapter 62: You Protect Her Now?

    Kate eximed that every woman here was so gorgeous, but this one was even more stunning. A red, tight dress outlined her perfect shape. She was tall, bright brown eyes, and sleek brown hair reached her shoulder.


    She looked both graceful and capable and a little familiar.


    Jessie¡¯s eyes fixed on her and said, ¡°This is?¡±


    Tristan introduced ¡°Kate White. Kate, this is Jessie Harderson, the famous hostess of the Finance Channel.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Kate was reminded. She appeared on the finance channel Tristan always watched. She had seen the program she hosted.


    Jessie obviously was more interested in Kate than she was in her. She scanned her intangibly and said, ¡°Miss White is still a student?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then where are you working?¡±


    ¡°I do not work.¡±


    Her candidness made Jessie speechless.


    Tristan asked, ¡°Which piece have you picked?¡±


    Kate pointed to one casually, ¡°This one.¡±


    Jessie showed some contempt in her eyes. The shop assistant seemed awkward. He went to bring his boss.


    Monica showed some weird expression and exined to Tristan, ¡°This one is not for sale. It belongs to one of my friends.¡±


    And then she turned to Kate and said, ¡°Can I ask why you only pick this one?¡±


    Kate said, ¡°I only understand this one.¡±


    Someoneughed in a low voice. Kate added, ¡°It shows the emotion of the artist.¡±


    ¡°What emotion?¡±


    ¡°Love of life.¡±


    Kate looked at the painting and said earnestly, ¡°They just went through a storm and endured the attack, but they survived and bloomed. They are lively and¡­¡± she added, ¡°tough.¡±


    She looked around and found a dozen people around her, staring, especially the hostess Jessie, with a pair of eyes like torches.


    Luckily Tristan was standing beside her. She cried inside that now she had too much sense of her existence.


    Tristan said half-jokingly to Monica, ¡°So you won¡¯t sell even to a good old friend?¡±


    Monicaughed and spread her hands.¡±OK. I guess my friend would be happy that somebody appreciates his work.¡± And she gave instructions to her staff.


    Kate asked, ¡°How much is it?¡±


    The staff told her the number, and Kate opened her eyes wide. She looked to Tristan awkwardly and apologetically. Tristan smiled and said nothing.


    Monica said, ¡°It is almost the most expensive work in this exhibition. But trust me, it deserves this price.¡±


    As they finished the mission there, Tristan held Kate¡¯s hand and said goodbye to Monica.


    When they reached their car, they heard a hasty ttering of heels on the floor. ¡°Tristan!¡±


    He turned back and saw Jessie. She looked pale.¡±Can we talk?¡±


    Tristan opened the car door and let Kate wait for him inside.


    They stood a few yards away. ¡°So this is the reason you refused me,¡± Jessie asked straightforwardly.


    Tristan hesitated a while and nodded.


    ¡°Because she is younger?¡±


    Jessie seemed to feel the contempt of the question herself but seeing him stay silent, she asked again, ¡°You are serious about her?¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t rely upon but watched Jessie. His reaction irritated and hurt her.


    She blurted out, ¡°I know you have had some painful experiences, and I have been waiting for you patiently. I thought even if you could never forget the past, I would ept you anyway. But, you suddenly showed up with a¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t find the right adjective after searching her brain for a long time.¡±An unknown woman. I cannot ept it, Tristan. I cannot ept this.¡±


    Tristan said, ¡°I will try to make it up to you.¡±


    Jessie walked back and forth, ¡°I know what you are going to say. I don¡¯t want to hear, and I don¡¯t ept it. I neverck money. And I never want money from you. I can lose you, but I cannot lose you to her.¡±


    Jessie raised her hand, which carried her purse to her forehead, ¡°I am not giving up.¡±


    Tristan showed no surprise as if he was expecting this. He rubbed his eyes and said, ¡°You can do whatever you want to me, but don¡¯t bother her.¡±


    Jessie raised her eyebrows, ¡°You protect her now?¡±


    Tristan smiled, ¡°She is not your rival. She doesn¡¯t deserve yourpetition.¡±

 Chapter 63: What Are You Doing Her?

    The next day was a cleaning day at the vi.


    The vi wasn¡¯t extremely big; about ten rooms were spread over the two floors. Kate saw Laura working so hard alone, so she started to help her voluntarily. Laura didn¡¯t refuse this help.


    ¡°The janitor had an emergency at home and couldn¡¯t make it today. Mr. Fox doesn¡¯t like to see strangers in his house.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Fox is critical about cleanliness and tidiness. If a new worker does not work to his standards, Mr. Fox will not say anything and still pay them as agreed upon, but he will do it personally. This is worse than a p in your face.¡±


    ¡°This house is very important to him. You are the only one who has moved in beside Mr. Fox.¡±


    As Kate spent more time with Laura, Laura filled her in with any information she knew, but the subject was always about her boss and his weird habits.


    The phone rang, and Laura went downstairs to answer it.


    Kate finished the task at hand and saw there was one more room at the end of the corridor. It should also need to be cleaned. She usually didn¡¯t explore other people¡¯s spaces, but today she didn¡¯t give it much thought.


    Kate pushed the door open and walked inside. It was dark as she walked to the window to pull the curtains open. The light shone through and revealed the room¡¯s contents. It was almost empty, except for two cabs, a recliner, and a coffee table.


    There was an ashtray on the coffee table full of cigarette butts.


    Kate walked across the room, but a framed photo beside the coffee table caught her attention. She bent down to pick it up. It was a photo of two people.


    One, a man, appeared both familiar and strange. He was familiar because she had seen him every day, but he was also strange because she had never seen that kind of look on his face. Besides, the age difference was considerable. This must have been years ago.


    In the photo, Tristan looked a little over twenty, with a rounder face and clearer eyes.


    He had been like this before.


    The girl in his arms had refined features, bright and smart eyes, with an innocent smile and a dimple on each corner of her mouth. They both wore white shirts that looked like school uniforms or a couple of outfits. They looked so harmonious and were surely a golden couple.


    Kate¡¯s eyes fell on her little dimples. She suddenly understood something.


    Looking at the ashtray, Kate wondered why Laura didn¡¯t clean this room every day unless she didn¡¯t have time to.


    She thought Tristan had note backst night. The fact was he came back and stayed here, judging from the number of cigarette butts, all night.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± A cold voice interrogated her suddenly.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Kate was taken aback. Her hand trembled, and the picture frame dropped with a sh on the floor.


    She turned back and saw Tristan, who was not supposed to be here at this hour. He was staring at the floor gloomily. Her first reaction was to pick up the broken ss, but she heard him say, ¡°Get out.¡±


    She lowered her head and saw another photo behind that one, exposed because of the broken frame. There were many people in the photo, all in army uniforms¡­But she didn¡¯t have time to see clearly because Tristan hade closer. His voice was like the winter wind. ¡°Get out.¡±


    She stood up and said, ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°I asked you to get out. Did you hear that?¡± He gave her a push impatiently. Kate staggered, and her leg bumped into the coffee table.


    She had never seen him in such a rage, and she was at a loss. She threw down the broken ss in her hand and ran out of the room.


    Her leg hurt, and she thought it could be bruised. Then she felt pain in her palm too. Looking down, it was bleeding, and the blood almost dropped onto the floor. She put pressure on her palm and went to the bathroom.


    After washing away the blood and making sure there wasn¡¯t broken ss in the wound, Kate grabbed a piece of tissue paper to press against her palm.

 Chapter 64: It鈥檚 My Fault

    Kate went back to her study and seemed to hear Tristan reprimanding Laura.


    Since she came here, she had never heard him speak to Laura in this tone. Kate felt guilty for bringing this trouble to Laura.


    After a while, Tristan¡¯s footsteps faded away, and then came the engine sound of his car, and then it was silent again.


    Laura knocked on the door and came in. She apologized, ¡°It is my fault. I should not let you help me. And the room¡­¡± She changed her mind and said, ¡°Did Mr. Fox me you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°OK, then.¡±


    Laura left sulkily. Kate pressed her palm for a while and found it didn¡¯t bleed, and then put a Band-Aid on it.


    Tristan didn¡¯t return that night.


    It was true he didn¡¯t return this time. And the room was locked.


    He sometimes didn¡¯te back to sleep. Kate knew it was normal. This was just a second home for him. It should be abnormal if he lived here all the time.


    When Kate cleaned up for bed, she looked into the person in the mirror. She smiled in the mirror. She had not smiled heartily for a long time, and now her smile felt stiff in the mirror. She saw her dimples and sighed. They were to be med.


    The next day, the gallery delivered the oil painting and asked where they wanted to hang it. Kate told them to put it away first. After staring at it for some time, she got back to her book, but she could not finish one page for half a day.


    Atst, she dragged the fat cat sleeping on the couch and said, ¡°Fatty, let¡¯s go for a walk. You can lose some weight as well.¡± The cat gave out a wail.


    On the third day, Kate received an unexpected call. The caller said she was Jessie and wanted to see her.


    ¡°Kate White, high school drop-out, came to LA three years ago, has worked as a waitress, supermarket clerk¡­¡±


    ¡°Tristan Fox graduated from Ivy University, CEO of Chasin Group, Top 10 sessful businessmen in California, estimated worth of¡­¡±


    In a privatepartment of a caf¨¦ with excellent sound instion, Jessie Harderson used her standard broadcasting tone to fill Kate in on the background of Tristan in sharp contrast to Kate¡¯s.


    Kate, who sat opposite from her, frowned slightly and straightened her back.


    Jessie smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way. I am not humiliating you. I am showing you the facts, the differences between you two. It is not normally such a big difference. He is not going to marry you.¡±


    Kate replied immediately, ¡°I am not going to marry him either.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jessie was startled. ¡°You don¡¯t like him?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Jessie showed some relief, ¡°Then you just did it for money?¡±


    This bold questioning annoyed Kate, and she bit her lips and asked instead, ¡°Are you his wife?¡±


    Seeing Jessie speechless, Kate continued, ¡°No? Then who are you to talk with me about this?¡± She had lived with that man for a couple of months, and she learned the sharpness in speaking unconsciously.


    Jessie wasn¡¯t annoyed at her words. She just said lightly, ¡°How can I be? His wife died many years ago.¡±


    It was Kate¡¯s turn to be surprised this time.


    Jessie raised her eyebrows. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    Kate shook her head.


    ¡°His wife died eight years ago. He didn¡¯t even mention this to you? Then you are just¡­¡± Jessie omitted thetter half of the sentence-just a mistress.


    Finding this starting point, she continued, ¡°I saw a photo of his wife. She has¡­¡± she fixed her eyes on Kate¡¯s face and said word by word, ¡°¡­a pair of dimples.¡±


    Seeing Kate lower her head, she knew Kate already knew that. This should be worked out then.


    ¡°We have known each other for about five years. If it was not because of you, we might be preparing for our wedding. The reason why he wants to be with you is because of some obsession. I will be straight with you. How long does he want you to be with him? How much has he given you? I will give you double if you leave him.¡±


    When they left the caf¨¦, Jessie offered to send Kate back, but she declined, insisting she wanted to go shopping. Jessie didn¡¯t persist and walked gracefully to the parking lot.


    Watching her leave high and mighty, Katepared her to a white swan. She was extremely proud. Kate expected she would be poured with coffee or pushed hair before she came to meet her.


    But she was astonished to hear what she told her. The beautiful woman in the photo was dead. And she had broken the photo frame.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Immersed in her thoughts, Kate walked into a department store.

 Chapter 65: What Was In Your Heart?

    The first floor was watches and jewels, sparkling in the windows appealingly. The second floor was shoes, the third was flower clothing¡­ all the things that women liked.


    A lot ofdies were lingering in front of the mirrors, turning and checking their images with the clothes, eagerness, and satisfaction on their faces. Comparing herself to all these women, Kate felt that she didn¡¯t deserve to be called ady. As the proverb says, you cannot make a crab walk straight.


    Kate strolled aimlessly to the fifth floor. Arts and crafts didn¡¯t pique interest either. She was about to turn back to the elevator when something shiny attracted her attention.


    Kate spent an afternoon and half of the evening outside. Her phone ran out of power, and the mall was still open. She ate something in a small restaurant and called a cab home.


    When she saw Tristan¡¯s shoes in the hallway, she was surprised. Raising her head, she saw he was sitting on the couch. He heard here in and asked, ¡°Where did you go? Why did you turn off your phone?¡±


    ¡°Shopping.¡± She said calmly.


    Tristan looked at her as if to check what she had gained and then ordered habitually, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Kate followed. Tristan grabbed one of her hands and spread her palm, and then another one. He touched the scar and asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    She paused a little and said, ¡°No.¡±


    Her skin healed fast, and there was only a faint scar, across one of the principal lines of her palm, like a secondary line.


    He touched it softly with his thumb and then suddenly pulled it to his lips and kissed it.


    The warmth transmitted to her like a small lightning bolt to her brain. She suppressed the impulse to pull her hand back and said, ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°There was blood on the ss.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that room¡­¡±


    ¡°OK.¡± Tristan released her hand finally.


    ¡°I bought this.¡± Kate took out a fancy looking packaging box, opened it, and then put it on the coffee table. It was a crystal frame with a simple shape.


    ¡°You came back sote just because of this?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Couldn¡¯t find one exactly the same as that one.¡±


    And then she couldn¡¯t help adding in a low voice. ¡°It is really expensive.¡±


    A few hundred dors for a photo frame. Her heart was aching when she paid for it.


    Tristan observed the crystal frame for some time. As she was about to leave for her bedroom, he held her hand and said, ¡°Stay a while with me.¡±


    Kate sat back. Tristan pressed the remote, and the room turned dark.


    She was held in his arms and leaned on the back of the couch. He gave a sigh of relief.


    Silence followed.


    In the darkness, it was all quiet except for the sound of their breath. The flowing of air seemed audible too.


    Kate suddenly wondered whom Tristan took her as at this moment.


    After a while, Tristan said, ¡°The day before yesterday was the anniversary of the day she passed away.¡±


    Kate was shocked. No wonder he smoked so many cigarettes. In her impression, he was moderate on drinking and smoking. Of course, so was she in other aspects.


    ¡°We knew each other in college.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°I was depressed due to some changes in the past when I entered college. And I was not used to life in college. Besides schoolwork, ying basketball, and taking some part-time jobs were my life. I was like a robot until she showed up.¡±


    ¡°She changed my life and made me lively. She was out-going, with extensive hobbies and talents. The painting you picked was one of her works she gave to Monica. She asked her to show it when there was a chance and see if anyone wants to buy it.¡±


    ¡°I just knew about it.¡±


    ¡°Monica was her roommate in college and her best friend. It is the painting she made in thest period of her life. You are right. It is about the love of life.¡±


    He spoke calmly as usual as if he was just telling the story of an unrted person. She was shocked at hisst words. She was ayman of arts, but probably because she knew nothing of techniques, she could easily see the nature of the work. The nature of people, in her understanding, was life, surviving, and the spirit that supported it.


    Hearing the term ¡°thest period¡±, Kate asked, ¡°How did she¡­¡±


    ¡°Bone cancer.¡±


    When Tristan opened his mouth again, his voice was husky. ¡°It was a middle stage when it was found. The doctor said she needed to have an amputation. She hesitated. I was busy with the expansion of my business and wasn¡¯t at home or noticed her changes. When I found out, cancer had already spread, and even amputation wouldn¡¯t help.¡±


    When he said, ¡°wouldn¡¯t help,¡± his voice finally showed the emotion of sadness.


    As he became silent, the air seemed to turn solid.


    Kate was surprised to find that Tristan rarely showed his emotion, but once he showed, his emotion spread to the air around and made anyone near him feel it.


    She thought she should not feel sympathy for this person, but on second thought, at this moment, he was just a normal man who had lost his true love. She thought he was emotionless, but he wasn¡¯t.


    He had also made mistakes, did something irremediable, and had been weak.


    She felt her eyes were itchy, but she didn¡¯t dare to touch them. She was afraid the movement would disturb him, and she didn¡¯t want him to know her reaction either.


    After some time, Tristan continued, ¡°I have thought why I had no reaction to that painting. I didn¡¯t even see the basic meaning of that painting. I don¡¯t even have your instinct feeling. Do you know why?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t expect he would ask her and just repeated, ¡°Why?¡±


    He raised his hand to push back his hair and showed some frustration, ¡°Because there were too many things in my heart. We were separated by those things.¡±


    He sighed, ¡°We were far away eight years ago, and so are we now.¡±


    Kate blinked her eyes. ¡°What was in your heart?¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect her to ask so straightforwardly. He kept silent for a while, touched her hand, and pinched it, ¡°You don¡¯t know, and you don¡¯t need to know.¡±

 Chapter 66: Executed Plan

    When Tristan got home, he heard some conversation in French. He saw a woman sitting on the couch cross-legged. He frowned slightly.


    She had just washed her hair and didn¡¯tb it. The hair was all messy, like a bird¡¯s nest on her head.


    She had a pack of snacks in her hand. At the sight of him, her face flushed with surprise. She stretched her legs to stand up, and the package in her hand tilted, and half a bag of potato chips fell to the floor.


    Tristan clearly saw two chips roll off of her pajamas and fall onto the carpet. And looking down at the snow-white carpet, besides a pile of chips, there were two slippers far apart, one of them with its sole facing up.


    The fat cat raised its head from the couch. Lucy¡¯s big face had something brown and sticky on it, in the same color as the stuff on the te in front of it. Tristan didn¡¯t dare to look closely at what it was.


    He suppressed his disgust and asked, ¡°Laura has note back yet?¡±


    Kate nodded.


    The TV was ying a French movie. The gray color scene, some bars, and cells, men in uniforms walked back and forth¡­Tristan gave it a nce and thought she was really studying something.


    He drew back his attention from the screen and fell on Kate¡¯s face again, said shortly, ¡°Ten minutes. Clean up all this mess.¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes does not seem like enough.¡± Kate wrung her hands. Her pajama top was misaligned.


    ¡°Half an hour then.¡± He pointed at the silly cat that was licking the te, ¡°Clean her up too.¡±


    Tristan went back to his room to take a shower and went to his study. When he passed the living room, he said, ¡°Turn down the volume a little bit.¡±


    Kate, who was squatting there and shaking the carpet, answered him OK.


    Tristan sat at his desk, turned on theputer, checked his email, and opened some files to read, but his attention was drawn to some other ce.


    Laura was sick yesterday and asked to leave for half the day. Tristan went back and found the living room wasn¡¯t as clean and tidy as usual. He cleaned it up without further thought. Today was simply an upgraded edition of yesterday.


    Their rtions seemed to develop after the in-depth talk the night before. Kate was gentler and talked a little bit more, but at the same time, the defects in her had been exposed gradually.


    This forced Tristan to look into an issue he had ignored -there were differences between them in various aspects, like lifestyle, family background, education, and social experiences.


    As he was reflecting, there was a knock on the door, and Kate brought tea. She hadbed her hair, changed into clean clothes, and looked much better.


    She put the cup down and said, ¡°Take it while it is hot.¡± Seeing him put his fingers to his temple, she asked, ¡°Are you tired? Want me to massage it for you?¡±


    He nced at her with surprise and then acquiesced.


    Kate walked behind him and took a look at hisputer screen. She was surprised to see a PowerPoint file with tables, ¡°Complicated file. Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°My staff did.¡±


    She said oh and then put her slender fingers on his temples and pressed, kneaded, rubbed, and pinched. Her manner was professional, and the massage was veryfortable.


    Tristan sighed and asked, ¡°Not bad. Where did you learn this?¡±


    ¡°The masseuse in the Spa Center.¡±


    He was shocked, ¡°But you didn¡¯t work there, did you?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± She prevaricates, ¡°Sometimes they were short-handed and would ask for help temporarily.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t say anything more.


    A momentter, he sniffed and said, ¡°What smell is it?¡±


    ¡°I bought a new perfume. Do you like it?¡± She put her hand to his face.


    He raised his hand to fend off and said, ¡°It is not so nice. Go wash it off.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡± Kate turned, and her sleeve swept the cup on the edge of the desk, and the cup fell, and the water spilled onto the keyboard.


    She gave out a cry and pulled a piece of tissue paper to dry it hurriedly, but Tristan grabbed her wrist and said, ¡°Let it be.¡±


    He raised his head to stare at her. Kate apologized hurriedly, ¡°I am sorry. I was too clumsy.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Tristan fixed his eyes on her for at least a few seconds and then turned to see the screen, waved his hand, and said, ¡°Just go.¡±


    Kate took a long breath when she got out of the room.


    It was dangerous. Tristan¡¯s eyes were sharp. One casual scan by him and her heart would start beating fast.


    Nothing happened for the rest of the evening.


    The next morning, Tristan saw Kate bringing a te of toast to the table.


    ¡°Toasts with peanut butter. Do you want to?¡±


    Is she saying that? She put her finger with some remains of peanut butter to her mouth and licked it.


    ¡°Peanut butter is my favorite. Try one?¡±


    ¡°I am allergic to peanuts.¡± He shook his head.


    She bit the toast and showed some satisfaction as the dimples on her cheek became visible. Tristan curled his lips down.


    He was just eating the soup when he heard her slurping. ¡°Don¡¯t make sounds while drinking.¡± He said. The sound disappeared, but soon she started to sneeze. ¡°What is the matter with you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­probably something got into my nose.¡±


    He just wanted to say you deserve it when she fetched a piece of tissue and blew her nose loudly.


    Finally, she finished her fussing and said in relief, ¡°OK now.¡±


    Tristan looked at his breakfast before him and put down the fork. He wiped his hand with the napkin and stood up. Before he left, he said, ¡°Clean all this up.¡±


    As soon as he walked out of the room, she made a face for her victory. Peanut butter, she had learned from Laura that he was allergic to it.


    After she brushed her teeth, she looked into the mirror andughed. Her expression was no longer stiffened. It was natural and lively.


    That was right. A n was being executed.

 Chapter 67: What Did You Find?

    Their conversation that night ended with Kate¡¯s yawning.


    And the next morning, Tristan had returned to his normal state. Not a trace of sadness. Kate sort of understood that some things only happened in darkness. In the daytime, the spell would lose its power. They would return to ying their roles as usual.


    A few months passed, but Kate still could not adapt to her new role. After seeing that photo, she drew the conclusion that it was all because of her dimples. The character of appearance, meaningless to herself, had caused her a lot of unnecessary trouble.


    She could not give up hope. Besides, there was rage inside of her too.


    Jessie said it was difficult to make a person like you, but it was easy to make him dislike you.


    As Kate made up her mind, she put the n as the first priority. She was afraid she was not smart enough, so she listed a detailed n day by day in a notebook. This would make the n look more natural and avoid giving herself away. She checked the items she had done at the end of the day before going to bed to pump herself up and as well as celebrate.


    The n today was shopping.


    She picked half a dozen shirts and ties with unique colors at the men¡¯s clothing department. When she swiped the bankcard and signed the bill, she was exhrated. However, as soon as she walked out of that section of the mall, she met someone.


    The person she didn¡¯t want to see most. Or it should be said the person she had the most contradictory feeling with, so contradictory that her heart hurt.


    There was a young girl beside Jimmy. She had a pixie haircut, with a dark green motorcycle jacket and jeans. She looked smart and stylish.


    Jimmy¡¯s eyes swept from Kate¡¯s face to the shopping bags she carried and then back to her face again, ¡°Fancy meeting you.¡±


    Kate stammered, ¡°I¡­Youe shopping too?¡±


    Jimmy nodded and saw her looking at the person beside him; he introduced her, ¡°This is a colleague from my team, Sergeant Lenham, ire Lenham. ire, this is Kate, Kate White.¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyes brightened, and she said, ¡°You are Kate? I have heard of you¡­¡±


    Jimmy coughed, and the girl stopped immediately. Kate caught sight of their tacit understanding, and her heart sank. She forced a smile and said, ¡°You go ahead shopping. I have to go now.¡±


    Jimmy followed her away with his eyes until she disappeared in the elevator. He heard ire say, ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like that kind of person.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person?¡± Jimmy drew back his attention.


    ¡°Materialistic and pursuing vanity.¡±


    ¡°Who said she is materialistic and pursuing vanity? Use your energy in gossiping at work. You are a policeman, not a tabloid journalist.¡±


    He was irritated suddenly and scolded her for a long while. ire pouted from his unreasonable loss of temper.


    When they got to the woman¡¯s clothing floor, Jimmy¡¯s phone rang. He took it out and walked away to listen, ¡°Hello, Aunty¡­What? What did you find?¡± His face turned serious as he heard.


    After he hung up, he turned to ire and said, ¡°I have something urgent to attend to. You pick one for me.¡± And he took a bank card from his wallet, ¡°The password is my birthday in reverse.¡±


    ire opened her eyes widely, ¡°Seriously? It is your mother¡¯s birthday gift. How can I know what size she wears?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Jimmy had already reached the esctor, ¡°Or maybe buy it another day.¡±


    ire stamped her feet. What a son! It would be his mother¡¯s birthday the day after tomorrow. He needed to send it by expedited courier if he wanted it to arrive in time.


    The mother should be so pissed to have such a heartless son. ire burst intoughter when she yed the movie in her mind.


    She turned back to the windows and saw a model with the new arrival of spring clothing. A smart, ck jacket. It should look great on Jimmy.


    Jimmy ran down the esctors. When he got to the first floor and walked out of the revolving door, he looked around. He didn¡¯t see the familiar figure.


    She must have left. Jimmy pursed his lips in disappointment and then headed to the parking lot. He had something more important to do. Even if he met her again, what could he say? How are you doing?


    Looking at her clothing, he could see that she had a wealthy life. And she bought clothes for that man. How sweet it was¡­


    The sun was bright, but the sunlight could not shine into his heart. Jimmy¡¯s heart was covered with dark clouds and shadows. He stood by his car, seeing the peoplee in and out for a while before he got into his car.


    Out of his eyeshot, Kate stood by the roadside at a loss.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    She didn¡¯t know how she got out of the mall. The sunlight stung her eyes. She was just encouraged by her n. The meeting with Jimmy and the way he looked at her made her heart sink to the bottom of the ocean.


    Sitting in the cab on the way back, Kate no longer felt the spirit she had when she came here. Even if she sessfully left Tristan, she could not go back to the past.


    She never dreamed of time-reversal like in a film, but now seeing the scene going backward in the cab, she suddenly thought how wonderful it would be if the cab could take her to one year ago or even half a year ago.

 Chapter 68: Still Scared?

    Tristan saw half a dozen colorful shirts among the row of dark and white shirts when he was picking the clothes for tomorrow in his closet. He frowned.


    Kate, who passed by, exined in time, ¡°I bought these for you. Your clothes are too dark and dull.¡±


    So she bought him a red one? And even one with a gold line?


    Tristan cursed inside but said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t bother to buy things for me. You just shop for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I bought quite a few too.¡± Kate lifted one to his face and said showily, ¡°Is it nice?¡±


    Nice. Quite a match for the red shirt. Tristanmented inside and said without change of expression, ¡°All outerwear?¡±


    Kate nodded and heard him say, ¡°Buy some underwear for yourself next time.¡±


    ¡°Better with leopard print. I like those.¡±


    Tristan glimpsed her, bit her lips, then put the clothes back, and walked away.


    Tristanughed lightly. He picked the few colorful shirts he wanted to toss it away, but on second thought, he put them back on one side of his closet.


    In the bedroom, Kate was sitting at the dresser andbing her hair absent-mindedly. Later she detected Tristan was looking at her from behind and that the way he looked was a little different than usual. It was a sign of something.


    Her heart started to beat faster.


    She took her time getting to bed. As soon as she was in bed, she was pulled by his arm and kissed on the forehead and nose, and he even sniffed the smell of her hair.


    Feeling her body stiff, he said, ¡°How many times have we done it? Still scared?¡±


    She could not help feeling scared. It was lucky that the frequency of having sex was not so high for the past few months she lived here.


    But probably because the impact of the first time was so big and horrible that her body rejected it automatically. Every time she had to experience it, she was like facing a formidable enemy.


    Tristan¡¯s body was covering hers. With one hand supporting him, he bent down to kiss her neck and reached his other hand between her legs. His hand stroked her through the fabric.


    Hearing his breath grew heavier, Kate swallowed and asked him to stop suddenly. She turned and opened the drawer of the nightstand, took out a pack with boxes of condoms.


    ¡°You bought them?¡± Tristan raised his eyebrows.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    She nodded and arranged them on the bed, said, ¡°I don¡¯t know your size. I bought from small to extrarge, one pack a size. You try one by one to see which size is appropriate?¡±


    Tristan¡¯s face darkened. Try one by one? Who did she think he was? He picked onerge pack and threw the others to the floor.


    Knowing what he would do next, Kate put her hand to her eyes.


    And then she heard some strange noise and felt the hot body get closer and the hotter part reaches her thigh. The thin rubber film couldn¡¯t stop the heat from getting to her. Instead, the unfamiliar feeling due to the object made her even scared. At thest moment, she cried out again, ¡°Wait.¡±


    Tristan said impatiently, ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    ¡°I need to go to the toilet.¡±


    His desire was burning, and he was going to burst, so he said, ¡°Hold it.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. I cannot hold it. I would pee in the bed if I did not go.¡±


    Tristan had that scene in his mind and felt chilly. He turned andy aside, ¡°Go. Be quick.¡±


    Seeing her taking her time getting out of the bed, he kicked her on the butt gently and urged, ¡°Speed up.¡±


    Shit. This hateful girl kept torturing him. He would have a problem with this.


    Kate spent a lot of time in the bathroom on purpose. She thought of the ad about medicine for frequent and urgent urination andughed silently. When she got out of the bathroom, she was surprised to see that that man wasn¡¯t in bed.


    Nobody else was in the bedroom.


    She walked out of the bedroom. Nobody was in the living room. And his study was in darkness. She was curious. Where could he be? Still, wearing that condom?


    Then she found her study had a light on.


    She pushed the door open and saw he was sitting at her desk. His face was dark, and luckily he was dressed in pajamas. He lifted up her notebook and asked solemnly, ¡°What is this?¡±

 Chapter 69: You Cannot Retreat

    Crap. Kate¡¯s first reaction was to run away, but she didn¡¯t move. A small voice said around her ears, ¡°You cannot retreat. You have to confront it.¡± So she tried topose herself and said, ¡°It is my notebook. What are you doing with it?¡±


    Tristan leaned back in the chair and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Well, I saw the notes were all about me. Didn¡¯t know you care so much.¡±


    He was a little proud when he read it out loud and turned each pagezily, ¡°Day 1, kick away the nket & grinding teeth in sleeping; day twob hair in living room¡­¡± and he turned a few pages and said, ¡°Day 15, peanut butter on toast¡­¡±


    After he finished, he raised his head and looked at her with ridicule, ¡°I don¡¯t understand these. Could you exin it to me?¡±


    Kate¡¯s mind was racing fast to find an answer. She bit the bullet and said, ¡°Recording, just recording.¡±


    ¡°What does that check mean?¡±


    ¡°Uh, that is to say, this is the bad habit, and I have to remove it.¡±


    Tristanughed and turned gentle, ¡°For me?¡±


    Kate bit her lips and nodded reluctantly.


    Tristan showed some satisfaction and stood up slowly, with the notebook still in his hand. He walked close to Kate and pointed to one page, ¡°Day 30, a little red g. What does that mean?¡±


    He drawled onnguidly as if he was really puzzled or he had already known everything. Kate felt a creeping feeling on her scalp. She grabbed the notebook from him and mumbled, ¡°It is a little g. Can¡¯t I draw anything I want?¡±


    ¡°Sure you can. But that is all?¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around her and showed extreme intimacy.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go to sleep.¡± Tristan finally let it go and carried Kate by her limbs to the bedroom.


    It was ufortable to be carried, but Kate felt relieved that her lie had worked. Her breath had not yete back to normal when she heard Tristan stop and ask suddenly, ¡°Who gave you the idea?¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart missed a beat, and she yed possum, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Look at me,¡± Tristan ordered.


    She looked up reluctantly into his eyes, and he said, ¡°You fooled me?¡±


    The gentleness and smile were nowhere to find.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Kate¡¯s heart began to bounce wildly again, and he asked again, ¡°The sergeant gave you that idea?¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect him to guess Jimmy, and it also reminded her of meeting with him in the morning. The man felt her body stiffen and frowned, ¡°It is really him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kate denied hurriedly after drawing back her thoughts.


    ¡°Then who is it?¡±


    ¡°Nobody.¡± She insisted.


    Tristan sneered, ¡°You think I am a fool?¡±


    Kate felt danger and struggled to get back on her feet, but Tristan held her tighter and said, ¡°It will not be over if you don¡¯t say clearly.¡±


    He got to the bed and sat down. He turned Kate around in his arms and put her on his leg with her back up. He pressed her elbow on her back and controlled her.


    Kate was like a fish being thrown to thend. She struggled in vain. She was both angry and terrified.


    She retorted, ¡°I didn¡¯t fool you. It is you who always treat me like a fool. Can¡¯t I have my own thoughts?¡±


    Tristan snorted, ¡°You are not a fool, and you can have your own thoughts, but this kind of thought is not what you are allowed. I have limited patience. If you don¡¯t confess, I will take action.¡±


    He grabbed a magazine from the nightstand and rolled it up, ¡°Last chance, will you say it?¡±


    The words sounded familiar to Kate. She heard a bang, and her butt hurt like being burnt. She frowned but kept silent.


    ¡°Not enough?¡±


    One more, and the sound echoed through the room.


    Kate gave out a cry but insisted, ¡°Nobody. Nobody.¡±


    She was as stubborn as the first time he saw her. Tristan ground his teeth and said, ¡°You will have to change your bad habit today.¡±


    At the fifth bang, Kate still kept silent. Tristan thought she was really tough, and he could not bear to continue.


    He tossed away the magazine and pulled down her pants. The tender skin was reddened and shocking. Looking closely, it was like a ripe peach with abundant juice. He felt his throat tighten and a hot current run down his belly.


    While Tristan was in a trance, Kate took a chance, climbing up on her feet and pulling on her pants. Turning back, she gave him a kick on the shin and said angrily, ¡°Morbid.¡±


    Tristan had mes in his eyes. He was quick, grabbing her and throwing her back on the bed. Kate lost bnce and fell on her back. Tristan bent up and supported himself with his arm, still controlling her in his arms.


    Tristan¡¯s eyes fixed on her, and he was swallowing mouth water. He said in a low voice, ¡°Morbid. Since you said that all the time, I need to be morbid with you.¡±


    And he bent down and bit her on the neck.


    Kate felt hurt. She kicked and beat at him, but he easily controlled her. He bit her to his satisfaction and scrutinized the visible teeth marks with delight. He said, ¡°The movie you watched just now. They took two decades to n the escape. Did you want to escape from here in 30 days? You think that you are too smart or that I am an idiot?¡±


    ¡°Let me give you a lesson from the beginning.¡±


    Then he continued his motion, picking the ces with the least meat: her rib, the inside of her arms, her belly; he bit all the way down.


    When he pulled down her pants again, his palm squeezed her butt and kneaded it, seeming to crush it. His slender fingers touched the front groove unintentionally and finally explored into it and tried to spread it. He was satisfied to hear her suppressed moaning.


    Kate bit his lips to endure the humiliation and heard him say, ¡°How many condoms did you buy?¡±


    She said honestly, ¡°One box of each size.¡± He sneered and blew his breath to her ear, ¡°That won¡¯t be enough.¡±

 Chapter 70: We Have An Agreement

    Kate slept till almost noon the next day, which was rare for her. She could not sit on the chair in her study at all in the afternoon, so she had to take the same position as the cat, lying on her stomach on the carpet. The skin she could see was covered with bite marks, and the ce where she could not see had even more.


    She cursed him for almost a full hour with all the words avable in her vocabry: morbid, psycho, beast, bastard¡­ and then she opened the book on the floor and started to read. Since the n to escape had failed, she had to return to her original n to study and make herself stronger.


    With the disturbance of Lucy, she finished only a few pages in several hours. And then she got a call from Jessie.


    Kate staggered out of the vi gate and saw a red car as bold and outstanding as its owner. Jessie sat inside wearing sunsses. She bent over and opened the front door for her. Kate only wore a thin sweater.


    She said, ¡°I will go change clothes.¡±


    ¡°Juste up. I only need a few words.¡± Jessie said impatiently.


    When Kate got in the car, Jessie started the engine immediately. Kate buckled up and heard her say, ¡°Do you cherish your life?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply. Jessie instructed her to buckle up every time she got into the car until she had gotten used to it.


    When the car hit the main road, Jessie sighed and said, ¡°It is over for Tristan and me.¡±


    Last night at midnight, the phone ringing had woken Jessie up. It was Kate¡¯s number, but when she picked it up, it was Tristan¡¯s voice.


    He said, ¡°That is it for the farce.¡± She paused a little and said, ¡°You cannot treat me like this.¡± Tristan stayed silent for a while and said, ¡°Jessie, you still don¡¯t know about me? This is what I am.¡±


    After she hung up the phone, she kept her eyes open till the day broke.


    Jessie pulled her mind back to the present and turned to Kate, ¡°Congrattions. Life term. You are stuck with him all your life.¡±


    ¡°We have an agreement,¡± Kate said.


    Jessie looked at her as if she was looking at an alien. ¡°You are so na?ve. Do you think he will keep his word? I know him better. He is literally paranoid. If I guess right, you are the 2nd woman in his life.¡±


    Kate showed surprise in her eyes.


    ¡°Even if you are useless in everything, with the dimples in your cheek, you will have to be the substitute all your life. Either he will not marry anyone all his life, or he marries someone in the future, you will still have to y your current role because,¡± Jessie sneered, ¡°he doesn¡¯t have an interest in other women physically. You will be his mistress all your life.¡±


    She spoke with spite and satisfaction. Kate put her hand on the seat belt.


    The car sped up and soon got out of the downtown area. When Kate got back her attention, the car was running on a coastal road, and there was not a car within eyeshot.


    ¡°There is only one way out. That is you die.¡± Jessie stepped further on the gas pedal. The car was flying above the road.


    Kate grabbed the handle on the ceiling of the car. Jessie was vehement and might do something to end both of their lives.


    The car was galloping under the darkening sky.


    When they stopped suddenly, they were in the middle of a winding mountain road. Jessie breathed heavily and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared?¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kate said.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you scream?¡±


    Kate looked at her, ¡°Why should I?¡±


    Jessie put her hand to the forehead, ¡°I am curious how youmunicate.¡± And then she seemed to understand and looked at her weirdly, ¡°You onlymunicate physically?¡±


    Kate looked away. The scenest night urred to her, and the pain seemed still there with the embarrassment.


    Jessie leaned back on the seat, and her heart was overwhelmed with fury and jealousy. She felt that a force twisted her soul. She ordered coldly, ¡°Get out of the car.¡±


    They were at the peak of a mountain.


    Outside the rail, it was a steep drop to a bottomless sea. The sea here was very different from outside the vi.


    The dark water was crashing against the cliff and created white waves and foam. It was like it was in a fury and was intimidating those watching it. Kate stepped back a little.


    The wind was also strong, and their hair was blown up.


    Jessie took off her sunsses. Her face looked dark, her eyes were baggy and ck, and her lips were pale.


    ¡°Do you know where we are?¡±.


    Kate shook her head.


    ¡°Give me your cell phone.¡±


    Kate gave it to her without a second thought and saw it draw a line in the air as it dropped into the sea with a sound.


    Kate was shocked, and Jessie sneered.


    ¡°Have you ever seen the sunrise from the sea?¡±


    ¡°Some people say that this is the best ce to watch the sunrise from the sea, but that is for summer. Now it is winter. People can freeze here at night.¡± Jessie smiled at Kate, ¡°Hope you enjoy the sunrise tomorrow.¡±


    Kate chased back to the car and said, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Jessie turned back to face her, ¡°Hush. Don¡¯t force me to push you down from here.¡± She got into the car, closed the door, and turned around.


    As she passed Kate, she put her head out of the window and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me run you over.¡±


    Kate stepped back at these words.


    The car flew past her and down the slope and soon disappeared over the other side of the mountain.


    The sea was roaring, and the wind was whistling.


    She walked close to the rail. Jessie¡¯s actions brought shock to her for a moment, but the feeling was gone soon. Kate didn¡¯t have anger and resentment toward her.


    Instead, what she had said earlier had a big impact on her, ¡°Life term, substitute, mistress, sex partner¡­¡±


    Looking down, the sea was ck and had one kind of appeal to her.


    Things shed in her mind: Caroline¡¯s death, meeting Jimmy, the cold expression on his face thest time she saw him, Tristan¡¯s unpredictable personality,st night¡¯s crazy desire, and the prospect of a whole life with him¡­ She couldn¡¯t bear to think about it.


    Even if she stooped topromise, it wasn¡¯t a life she wanted. She was not really living.

 Chapter 71: He Doesn鈥檛 Deserve You

    Tristan was on the way back to the vi when Laura called him and said Kate went out after a call and had note back yet. Tristan¡¯s scalp jumped, and he called Kate, but the phone did not ring.


    His first reaction was that the little thing was ying a new trick, but the next moment he called his secretary to check Kate¡¯s call record. He had a bad presentiment.


    In a private room of the club, Jessie leaned on a couch. There were bottles and a big bowl of fruit sd on the table.


    On the TV screen, Celine Dion was singing, ¡°When I was young, I never needed anyone. And making love was just for fun. Those days are gone. Living alone, I think of all the friends I¡¯ve known. But when I dial the telephone, Nobody¡¯s home. All by myself. I don¡¯t wanna be all by myself anymore. All by myself. Don¡¯t wanna live all by myself anymore.¡±


    The door was pushed open, and somebody walked in.


    He walked to her and bent down, ¡°Jessica.¡± And he med her with care, ¡°How could you do this to yourself. Drink so many bottles? Bad for your throat.¡±


    Jessie looked up, ¡°It is you.¡±


    ¡°Disappointed?¡± Owen sat down by her side, turned off the TV, and said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t deserve you.¡±


    The phone on the table vibrated, and Owen saw it, hanging up secretly.


    Jessie didn¡¯t notice and leaned on his shoulder, ¡°Why is it that every time I meet you, I get misfortune?¡±


    ¡°Because I am always by your side.¡±


    The phone rang again, and Owen simply shut it down.


    ¡°Come on. I will send you back home.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not going back. It is cold at home.¡±


    ¡°OK. I will stay here with you.¡± He patted her back andbed her hair smooth, like treating a princess.


    Owen had loved this princess, but she was shedding tears for another and giving her heart to this person who had trodden on it. How could he not hold a grudge?


    In silence, the door opened again.


    A man in ck came with freezing air. His face was darker than the night.


    Jessie, who had almost fallen asleep in Owner¡¯s arms, seemed to have sensed him and raised her head. She opened her eyes suddenly, ¡°Tristan?¡±


    Tristan walked close and asked expressionlessly, ¡°Where is she? Where did you take Kate?¡±


    Jessie prevaricates with the help of alcohol, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±


    Owen didn¡¯t know what had happened between them. Seeing Tristan taking up a half-empty bottle of wine, he stood up to defend Jessie, ¡°What are you going to do? Don¡¯t go too far.¡±


    Tristan put the bottle down and said, ¡°Then wake her up in your way.¡±


    While the two men were in a stalemate, Jessie seemed to wake up and smiled. ¡°Oh, I see. You are referring to that idiot. I threw her into the sea to feed the sharks.¡±


    Tristan squinted, ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. Where is she?¡±


    Jessie hupped and said, ¡°You are a capable person. You find her yourself.¡±


    Tristan pressed his lips together as if to suppress his anger and said calmly, ¡°Jessie, I told you not to bother her. What you did today, whether she will be OK or not, we are over.¡±


    Tristan walked out of the room and took out his cell phone, and called, ¡°Ed, get you men together. Jessie took Kate to God knows where. Search along the coast.¡±


    The other side of the phone cried, ¡°Jessie took revenge? I have said¡­¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shut up. And get going ASAP.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tristan came to the parking lot.


    It took him a long time to locate his car. He sat in it, took a deep breath, and forcefullyposed himself. Kate should be OK. Jessie didn¡¯t have the nerve to kill a person. She at most vented her anger and put somebody in a difficult situation.


    And then he med Kate for being so stupid not being able to see through Jessie. Even a child was more mature than she was. After he found her, he had to teach her a lesson to keep him worried all the time.


    His car headed to the road, and he was at a loss as to where to go.


    The radio was warning that there would be a snowstorm tonight and asked drivers to keep safe. His hand grabbing the steering wheel clenched tighter, and the veins bulge.


    He got Ed¡¯s report from time to time. Somewhere, not found; somewhere, not found¡­ His response was to keep on looking.


    It was the depths of winter, and the night was extremely cold. The sea wind was as sharp as a de. One could freeze to death. Besides, in the darkness and in wild ces, who might she encounter?


    Tristan sighed and thought, as long as Kate was OK, he would forgive her.

 Chapter 72: Take Off Your Clothes

    Tristan¡¯s heart was like a fire burning. He slid down the window of the car, and the moist and salty sea wind blew in, cutting his face like a de and also bringing him calmness.


    He thought of a ce.


    It had the most beautiful scenery and the steepest cliff. Quite a few tourists fell down from there by ident. Based on his knowledge of Jessie¡¯s character, she might choose that ce in extreme emotion.


    The wind was increasing its speed, and huge snowkes fell from the air and danced their way down in the wind. The snow blocked Tristan¡¯s view and made him more anxious. He pushed further down on the elerator to race the severe weather. A car wasing towards him, and he slowed down to see if there was a familiar face in it.


    The snow was getting thicker and covered the whole sky like a nket. Within the range of his vision, it was all white.


    Ed had not called to report his finding for quite a long time. And as he started to doubt his conjecture, he turned to see a shadow.


    It was slender, floating, and moving slowly in the snow under the streetlights, like the image in a dream Ed stepped on the brakes immediately.


    Kate didn¡¯t know how long she had walked and how far she had gone. She just knew that she could not stop. If she stopped, the pain in her legs would go on strike, and she could not make them work anymore.


    The wind was too hard, and it pierced through her clothes without effort and even prated her skin into her body. If she stopped, she would be frozen like a pir.


    She caught sight of a ck car that stopped in the middle of the road in the distance strangely. She had not seen one single caring down from the mountain, and she was nervous when she saw it. After a second look, it seemed familiar to her.


    Tristan sat in the car, watching that shadow slowly turn clearer. The outline, soon revealed, was familiar and became visible. She wore a white hooded sweater with the hood on her head. Thus it was difficult to tell the shape from a distance.


    And when she moved closer, Tristan saw the facial features under the hood and exhaled a breath. He just realized he had been holding his breath just now.


    The person in white walked closer to the car and tilted her head to look inside. After seeing him, her shoulders and face rxed.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Tristan pushed open the door in the front and said, ¡°Get in the car.¡±


    She climbed in clumsily and slowly. His face was reddish, and her lips were almost green. There was frozen snow on her eyshes. Tristan touched her face, and it was freezing.


    He wanted to say something but felt choked up, and the words that came out of his mouth were just, ¡°Buckle up.¡±


    Kate followed, but her hands were stiff, and she struggled for a long while without sess.


    Tristan leaned over to help her. Then he called Ed, ¡°You can all go back. I found her.¡±


    The other one asked where he found her and if she was ok.


    He just replied that she was still alive.


    Kate looked at him with puzzlement and started to rub her freezing cheeks.


    It was midnight.


    The car galloped back home, and they didn¡¯t speak until they got back downtown and stopped for a traffic light.


    Tristan reached to her hand that hid in her sleeve and was shocked by her temperature. He gave it a squeeze and leaned over to hug her.


    ¡°Idiot.¡± He said in a low voice.


    Kate was startled but soon rxed. His hug was so tight that Kate felt she was going to be suffocated. What an unreadable person! He was chill when seeing her but now had such an outburst of emotion.


    Kate struggled to make herself breathe more smoothly, but she also felt his arms around her gave her safety. Something she was horrified by initially was genial now.


    As they heard a horn from behind them, Kate turned back and reminded him, ¡°It is green now.¡±


    ¡°Let it be.¡±


    Tristan was mischievous in his tone. Kate was speechless at his selfishness.


    After he felt satisfied with the hug, he got back to driving but still held her hand with his right hand. Kate nced at him and curled her lips down.


    They drove into the parking lot of an apartment building. They took the elevator upstairs and got to the door. Tristan entered the password to open the door and said, ¡°This is my downtown apartment. We will stay here tonight.¡±


    After they entered, Tristan walked straight inside, and Kate was changing shoes in the hallway. Only men¡¯s slippers were avable, and her feet looked tiny.


    She looked around and found the decoration was masculine, mostly ck and white, cold and as hard as the personality of its owner. She had not finished her observation when Tristan came out with his sleeves rolled up. He said, ¡°Take off your clothes.¡±

 Chapter 73: You Have A Fever

    My God. Kate cried out inside. Now? She was in such a state.


    She could not do it now.


    He grew impatient and came over to do it himself. He was an expert in stripping, and soon she was left in just bras and underpants. She held her arms against her chest by instinct.


    Tristan didn¡¯t continue and carried her to the bathroom. Tristan put her into the tub already filled with water. ¡°It is cool.¡± Kate hunched her shoulders and wanted to get out.


    He pushed her back and said, ¡°It is warm. You are almost frozen. Cannot use water that is too hot.¡±


    Kate touched her own knees, and they were freezing. But sitting in the tub almost naked under the gaze of a fully dressed man, she feltfortable somehow. She curled her toes, bent her legs, and hugged her knees.


    Tristan pressed her t so that she could all soak in the water. He raised his hand to push her hair back andbed her hair with his fingers. There wasn¡¯t desire in his eyes, but his expression made Kate feel more awkward to look at him.


    The next second, she gave out a low cry. Tristan asked, ¡°What is wrong?¡±


    Kate could not say it. It was probably because they had had sex too vigorously. Some part below was wounded, and it hurt soaking in the water. Kate frowned and shook her head. She said nothing. This proved the water was warm, she thought.


    Tristan squatted, watching her, and touched her to check her temperature from time to time. He went out to make a call, and when he returned, he brought a pair of men¡¯s pajamas.


    After he confirmed that Kate had returned to normal, he allowed her toe out of the tub.


    As the lingerie was wet, Kate had to put the pajamas on without underwear. The pants were extremely long, and she had rolled up almost to her feet to avoid being tripped over. Before she got out of the bathroom, she looked in the mirror. She looked like a kid wearing adult clothes or a person in a bag.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Tristan showed up at the door of the dining hall and asked her toe over. Kate was surprised to see four courses on the table, ¡°You made these?¡±


    Tristan rolled his eyes, ¡°I ordered it. There is a restaurant just downstairs.¡±


    He just sat there watching her eating. She thought he might reprimand her, but he just sat there quietly and even got her a cup of water. She was specting inside that Tristan might act strangely tonight. Would he have an outburstter?


    Even though the bed was strange to her, Kate was exhausted and fell asleep easily, surrounded by the familiar scent. Half-awake, Kate felt that someone was touching her forehead, her cheeks, and even reaching under her loose pajamas. It was strange that she didn¡¯t feel startled and woke up as before.


    She slept deeply and had a dream that her home was on fire. She ran into the house to save her brother and sister, and then she thought of her grandma, who was still in the house. She wanted to run in again, but the beam fell down. She cried for her grandma until her dry and sore throat could not make any sound.


    Then Tristan woke her up. She opened her eyes and met his. He put his hand on her forehead and told her, ¡°You have a fever.¡±


    Tristan found the medicine kit and measured her temperature to be 39¡æ.


    He got the water and let her take some fever reducer.


    Kate heard him call somebody to get her an infusion while she was in a daze. She said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just take medication? I will be OK after some sleep. I had a harder fever than this before. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Kate hid in the nket and just showed half of her reddened face, which looked piteous and funny.


    Tristan smiled the first time that night. He scraped his finger along with her nose and said, ¡°Your brain was burnt stupid that time?¡±


    Kate frowned, ¡°So you are saying I am stupid. I am not stupid.¡±

 Chapter 74: Did He Practice On Someone Else?

    It was a special night, not just for them.


    Jessie woke up when the day broke. Her head was splitting. It didn¡¯t feel good to have a hangover.


    When she moved, she realized something was wrong. She turned back in alert and found a person lying beside her, with eyes closed and satisfaction on their face.


    She scratched her head with remorse. She tried to put the pieces of her memory together, and then she cursed damn and got up. The person beside her soon called, ¡°Jessica.¡±


    Owen rubbed his eyes and sat up, hugging her from behind, still naked. ¡°I will take responsibility for you¡­¡±


    Jessie pulled her hands away and said, ¡°We are all grown-ups. And I am drunk. Take it as a one night stand.¡±


    And then she got out of the bed naturally and got a robe. She put it on and then walked to the bathroom.


    When she got out of the bathroom, Owen had dressed up and put on his sses. He was back to the gentleman he looked like usually.


    Jessie had also pulled herself together, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much of it. We are not fit for each other.¡±


    She sat down to do her makeup. Owen looked at the woman in the mirror and said, ¡°Do you think you still can possibly be with that guy? He dumped you for a waitress.¡±


    Jessie changed her face, ¡°Owen, do you believe I could sue you for rape? Taking advantage of others. You mean so little, Mr. Guy. At this point, Tristan is one hundred times better than you.¡±


    ¡°But he has no interest in you.¡±


    ¡°You shut up.¡± Jessie threw what she had in her hand at him.


    Owen didn¡¯t dodge, and the thing scratched along the corner of his eye. It dropped on the floor. It was a foundation brush. He frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t have such delusions.¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± Jessie roared and started to throw whatever on the dresser to him.


    A few things hit the target, and Owen had to turn and left.


    When he got downstairs, he touched the scratch on the corner of his eye and felt resentment inside. Whatever Jessie did to him, he wouldn¡¯t be angry with her, but he would put them on Tristan¡¯s ount.


    Fox, one day, I will disclose what you truly are and show it to her. Men like you don¡¯t deserve her love.


    Kate saw Laura when she woke up. She touched her forehead to check her temperature and asked how she felt.


    Kate thought she was back at the vi. She looked around. Laura said, ¡°Mr. Fox called me and asked me toe here to take care of you. I have to call him now that your fever has gone.¡±


    For Kate, today was worse. After a night¡¯s sleep, her legs were still sore, and the soles had blisters. Today she was still very exhausted because of the walking and struggling in the snow the day before.


    Tristan came back in the evening and saw her sitting on the couch with a newspaper in one hand and the other hand hammering her legs. He said it didn¡¯t work that way. He sat down and pulled her leg onto hisp, rolled up the pants, and started to massage.


    Kate was ttered and stiffened. He padded her calf and ordered, ¡°Rx.¡±


    He was good at it. He kneaded her from ankle upward, inch by inch, with appropriate strength. It wasfortable but¡­


    Kate grabbed a cushion and held it in her arms. It gave her some feeling of safety. She didn¡¯t know why but she felt the situation was strange. Looking at him massaging with patience and earnestness, she started to wonder how he got such expertise.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Did he practice on someone else?


    Then she thought back to her talk with Jessie yesterday. Kate felt ufortable thinking of what Jessie had told her.


    And back to days ago, when Tristan had asked her if she wanted to hang the painting, she bought in her study.


    She had asked him instead what he wanted. And he said if she found it a disturbance, then just to put it away. She was puzzled and asked what disturbance. Tristan nced at her and didn¡¯t say anything.


    She had never seen that painting ever since.

 Chapter 75: This Is For A Child

    Now Kate felt there was a little disturbance, but her meditation was immediately interrupted, and she gave out a cry, apanied by a shiver.


    Tristan raised his head and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    She didn¡¯t speak. He just touched her knees.


    He guessed it and said, ¡°Itchy?¡± and asked again, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you show me?¡±


    Kate looked uneasy. How could she know?


    Tristan¡¯s hand reached that part again. This time he did it on purpose, and it had an obvious effect. She giggled and kicked randomly, ¡°Please, don¡¯t¡­¡±


    He looked at her eyes. Besides feeling funny, there was something in his eyes sparkling, and the palm that stayed in her knees grew hotter.


    Kate knew what it meant, and she stopped moving immediately.


    Tristan probably realized her physical condition, so he pulled down her pants and said, ¡°Get to bed now. Don¡¯t get a fever again.¡±


    Kate seemed to understand this special amnesty and ran away.


    However, seemingly cursed, her temperature came up again in the middle of the night, and it was even more severe than before. Tristan got a doctor to check on her and give her a prescription. A nurse came to give her an injection.


    The doctor was an old friend of Tristan¡¯s. He checked and said Kate was still weak. This kind of physical condition, the doctor added, could make it difficult to be pregnant. Tristan asked if anything could be done to help?


    ¡°I will give her instructions after she recovers.¡±


    Kate rarely got sick, but this time it took several days to recover.


    Laura came over to cook for Kate and kept herpany. She moved quite a lot of things and made the cold and hard apartment feel a more feminine air and made it strange at the same time.


    Kate only did two things these days, ate and slept. And time turned upside down.


    When she woke up, she saw the room was only lit by one wall light.


    Tristan was sitting beside her in the bed and reading a file. She saw his profile from that angle. He had a straight nose, a pursed mouth, and was looking attentive. He flipped the pages with no noise. This image felt surreal to her.


    Heard her ragged breathing, Tristan turned to her and touched her forehead, asking, ¡°Want water?¡±


    Kate found her throat burning and nodded.


    Tristan put down the file in his hand and helped her sit up. Then he brought her a cup from the nightstand. It was shaped like a bear. Tristan took off the lid, which was the head of the bear, and there was a straw inside.


    After Kate drank the water, he put the cup back. Seeing her still staring at the cup, he exined, ¡°I bought it from the supermarket downstairs.¡±


    Kate made a weird expression and said dully, ¡°This is for a child.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I must have bought the right one.¡±


    The water she drank seemed to seep from her throat to her eyes. She felt her heart ache as tears flowed out.


    Tristan asked in surprise, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Kate shook her head, but tears flew out across her burning cheeks. Soon they were wiped away by his warm, dry fingers.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked again.


    She had siblings in her family. They were close in age and always fussed about and fought each other when they were young. Their parents didn¡¯t have much time or energy to take care of them.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Even when they got sick, they only gave them medicine and a ss of herb tea. After Kate left home, she had to rely on herself, and she experienced quite a lot in the years out in the city.


    She seldom felt other¡¯s care either from her family or from others. She never dreamed of people taking care of her when she was sick.


    It was probably because she was sick and became sentimental at the moment. The tears she shed were more than the water she took.


    Tristan seemed to understand her feelings and put his palm on her cheek and stroked it, ¡°Little crier.¡±


    The little crier was filled with tears in her eyes andshes. Her nose was red, and her lips became fuller and scarlet because of the heat. She was appealing and tempting.


    The air in the room changed.


    Tristan felt his belly tighten, and his voice became husky. He said in a low voice, ¡°You seduced me.¡± And his hand was even faster than his brain, reaching under her clothes.


    ¡°I am sick.¡± Realizing his attempt, the little person said in a nasal voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Tristan said arbitrarily. He bent down to touch her mouth, and his tongue slipped between her lips without hesitation.


    His palm was soft and gentle, like touching a gem.

 Chapter 76: Just One Time

    Kate¡¯s usually cool skin was warm now because of her sickness, and it felt different. The two-round marshmallows in the front were fuller than the first time Tristan had touched them. They filled his palm, and were soft as pudding, and seemed like they would melt with just a little strength pressure.


    Tristan put some strength on his palms, and he heard her cry softly in suppression, which sounded like an extremely pleasant mdy to him.


    His palm cruised down across her t belly and into her pants. Along the familiar route, his hand moved over the soft hair and into the cave, where he was wrapped with a tight muscle.


    The extremely high temperature inside made his heart jump like it was going to run out of his chest. He could not hold it in anymore.


    Kate had a natural resistance to him and used her hand to push his chest away, but her strength was negligible. She kicked her legs to help, but he was stimted by her struggle, and his hand went deeper in and felt the moisture inside.


    Tristan lost control of himself, and his lower part became erect as his breath turned heavier.


    The struggle was maintained for less than one second. Tristan¡¯s mouth moved slightly away from her lips and said, ¡°Baby, just give it to me.¡±


    ¡°You are a beast.¡± She breathed hot air at him.


    Heughed and said in her ear, ¡°Right. I am a beast now. All I want is¡­¡±


    Thest words were blown into her ear. And he bit her little round earlobe on the way.


    And then he used a coaxing tone, ¡°Just one time. It is good for you to sweat.¡±


    Before he finished the words, his hand had started the motion. He ripped off her pants and split her legs with his knee, and his swollen part went into the warm and moist cave.


    He felt wee, and he straightened his waist and was in her thoroughly and was sucked in by her immediately.


    At the same time, Kate gave out a muffled sound. All the nerves in Mr. Fox¡¯s body seemed to focus on that particr part, and his brain went nk.


    All Kate felt was disillusion.


    Her sadness in recalling the past went away because of his actions. And she had forgotten that this man was an animal, a beast, morbid.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    However, this time seemed a little different from the past times, though Kate didn¡¯t know what it was.


    She frowned because she had not yet recovered from the time days before. She was filled up and the little wound leftst time opened up again, secretly and shamelessly hurting her.


    The man started to pull and push in at an extremely slow speed. He was magnifying the feeling within her, rubbing and burning inside her, as if licking the little wounds inside her.


    Kate wanted to stop the strange feeling, and her legs moved closer secretly and found the thing inside her jumped and swelled, and the man moaned, obviously out of satisfaction andcency.


    Kate hated herself because even at this moment, when she still had a fever, she could still feel every nuance of her physical feeling. Her face was on fire. She knew how red it was without seeing the mirror. She had to scratch the strong shoulders of the man to vent her anger.


    The man enjoyed slowly pushing and pulling for some time, and then he lifted the legs of the woman and pushed them to her chest. Her body had excellent suppleness and great potential. He bent to kiss her smooth knees, and his hand moved to the inner side of her legs. There wasn¡¯t cellulite at all.


    Only with a gentle stroke, it would shiver. Pinch it, and her crotch would shrink and mp down on his sensitive part.


    Tristan sighed out offort. What he felt was even better was that this was explored and developed by him. He had led an abstinent life for eight years.


    He doubted he was going to be a saint. No wonder other people questioned if he had a problem in that aspect. In this virginnd, his long sleeping masculinity had woken up and exploded a thousand times.

 Chapter 77: Shameless

    The person underneath him didn¡¯t know what had changed but kept shivering and moaning as Tristan staged a crueleback. Every thrust was to the deepest part of her, and the tip reached the bottom, and stimtion was to the most extreme acuity.


    Her crying changed its tone and pitch, and even she was shocked, as it was so strange to her.


    At the same time, it was as if millions of ants were crawling in the ce where they connected, and they spread all over her body. The feeling was like a dense web, covering her totally, including her senses.


    With each thrust more fierce than thest, Kate felt as if her body was going to fall apart. Her bones and muscles were melting and turning into foam, and her senses became vague.


    In a dream-like state, she was back to the cliff, staring at the dark seawater below. And there was a vortex below, dragging her down with a mysterious force.


    When she was swallowed by the vortex, she saw a white sh passing by.


    When she came back to her senses, it was like she had just been taken out of the water. The sheet beneath her was all wet.


    The man was lying on his back beside her, his body emitting heat and moisture. She could finally breathe smoothly. The sweet smell in the air was embarrassing, and when her legs moved even a little, there was sticky liquid flowing out.


    She turned to sleep on her side, but Tristan¡¯s chest came and leaned against her back immediately. And down there, the thing was poking her butt. She naturally knew what it was.


    Feeling its attempt, she protested in a husky voice, ¡°You said only one time.¡±


    ¡°One more time.¡± His mischievous way came again. And without her consent, he lifted up her leg and entered her. It was wet and smooth, and he required no effort to push in.


    And then he held her tightly and thrust to her again and again. Kate almost passed out from the violent action.


    Tristan used one of his feet to hook the nket back, which was kicked to the corner earlier, and cover their bodies. He didn¡¯t stop the movement under the nket. She said with anger, ¡°Shameless.¡±


    The manughed lightly beside her ear, ¡°What I said was one position one time.¡±


    Later Kate knew what she had experienced was the first orgasm in her life. Of course, it was him who reminded her of this in her ear. The word burnt her ear and brought sadness to her heart.


    She knew little about sex. But she knew vaguely that it only happened when the body felt the pleasure. He made her feel pleasure? Or did his thing made her feel pleasure?


    How could this be an orgasm or climax? It was the trough of life for her. Her mood had hit a historical trench.


    Without reason, Kate thought of the cattle on their farm. They branded the cattle to mark their ownership. This event didn¡¯t ur to her the night she lost her virginity or when she signed the agreement.


    In terms of quantitative change and qualitative change, Kate felt that she had experienced qualitative change this night.


    As he said, it was good for her to sweat. She felt better. She went back to the seaside vi and was back to the otaku life, but she had a different mental state from before.


    She felt the smell of that person who had lived in her and could not be got rid of. When doing that thing again, she was afraid of that feeling, but what she was afraid of woulde inevitably.


    Her body had been enlightened, and she could not control it anymore. Before, she was dull, and it was a kind of protective measure. Now that this protection was ripped off, she felt she was in great danger.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    And she started to worry the man would leave something more in her body. After that night, sex became more frequent.


    Thinking of herment on his being ¡°moderate,¡± she wanted to p herself. How could he deserve this word?


    Every time she reminded him nervously to wear the condom, but Tristan replied that it was notfortable for both of them; it affected their experience. She didn¡¯t want to experience it at all.


    Sometimes Tristan would tease Kate and ask her to put it on him. Under his instruction, she had the ¡°pleasure¡± to see the weapon thatmitted countless acts of violence in her body. It had shocking size, bulged with veins, erect and cocky. She was shocked.

 Chapter 78: How Will You Thank Me?

    When Kate was staring at theputer absent-mindedly in the study, she thought there was a reason that parents and teachers didn¡¯t want their teens to fall in love too soon. She had been sensitive to numbers, and math was her best subject in high school. But now, even as she stared at books all day long, not one word could get into her mind.


    Thinking of her n and the talents she intended to develop, she was worried and spent all her time in the study, struggling with the books in vain.


    One day, Tristan could not bear to see her like this anymore. He dragged her out of her study into his study. Looking at her gaunt face, he asked, ¡°Having difficulty studying?¡±


    Kate shook her head after a pause.


    Tristan said, ¡°The saint said there are many things worth sacrificing our life, but there isn¡¯t one thing worth sacrificing our sleep for.¡±


    Kate asked, ¡°Which saint said that?¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Tristanughed, ¡°It is not important who said it. What is important is you must stop this situation.¡±


    Then he took a stack of printouts and put them on the coffee table in front of her. ¡°Read these.¡±


    Kate was surprised. They were flyers from schools, including a few famous colleges in the city. She realized what he meant, but she looked at him in disbelief.


    Tristan just sat there and kept silent and looked at her calmly, confirming her conjecture.


    Kate felt her throat choking, and she pointed to a few of the flyers and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can apply for these colleges as I haven¡¯t got a high school diploma.¡±


    ¡°Can you go back to your high school and get the exams?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­I think I can study for a year¡­or half-year and¡­¡±


    She raised her head and looked into his eyes, and said firmly, ¡°Yes, I can.¡±


    Seeing her sparkling eyes, Tristan smiled and said, ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t take so much trouble. I can ask someone to call the principal of one of the colleges¡­¡±


    Kate interrupted hastily, ¡°I don¡¯t want the college diploma, in fact. I just want to learn something.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± he looked at her again and took up a thick pamphlet.


    ¡°Check this one out then. It is a private school, with strong faculty; some of the teachers are from famous colleges. Financial management is the brand major of the school if you want to learn this.¡±


    Kate knew that college. She had done research on the schools before she went to the Open University. That school had strong faculty, but the tuition was steep.


    She was stirring inside. This happened too soon, and she didn¡¯t know the cause behind it. Her fingers touched the pamphlet, which was made of paper with excellent texture.


    Tristan saw her reaction and said, ¡°Most of all, it has short school years, practical curriculum¡­And if you want to go on studying or have a job, the diploma of this school is extremely convincing.¡±


    Kate kept silent for a moment and asked, ¡°Why do you want to help me?¡±


    Tristan smiled and said, ¡°I just provided you the information. The tuition will be deducted from your ¡®sry.''¡±


    Kate showed some awkward expression when she heard the word sry. Tristan said, ¡°Besides if you are more capable, I can show you off to my friends.¡±


    She downyed it, but Kate had a storm in her heart. She suppressed the panting brought by the ecstasy as well as the distress for unknown reasons and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tristan followed her remarks, ¡°How will you thank me?¡±


    Kate was dumbfounded.


    He pointed at his own cheek and looked at her with a mischievous expression.


    Kate understood what he meant, but she could not do it.


    So far, he had dominated all of the physical contacts between them was dominated by him. Kate just took it with somewhat resistance, though her resistancetely had be weaker and weaker.


    She could not voluntarily do it.


    Tristan waited for a long time, and he seemed disappointed. He took up one of the pamphlets and flipped through it. He said as carelessly as he could, ¡°OK. I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Only when the opportunity was about to pass, Kate realized that she needed it so much. She needed to be stronger, and she needed to go to that college. This man has a quaint personality, she didn¡¯t want to offend him and make him change his mind.


    There might not be a second chance.


    With lightning speed, she flew to his side and pecked him on the cheek. As Tristan was standing up at the same time and her action was so fast, she bumped into his chin.


    She put her hand to her mouth because it hurt like hell.


    Tristan couldn¡¯t helpughing. He patted her on the head with the pamphlet and said, ¡°My God, could you be a little smarter?¡±

 Chapter 79: You Like It?

    A few dayster, Kate enrolled at the college in thepany of Tristan¡¯s pretty secretary. The person in charge received them and gave them an introduction to the regtions of the school.


    Her tone was detached and business-like. It made Kate felt better that they had not received special treatment.


    Then she was brought to a meeting room where she had a few cement tests.


    Two hourster, Kate walked off campus after finishing the tests. Looking at the winter sunshine, she took a deep breath and felt she was going to turn to a new page in her life.


    Soon it was Christmas, and Kate felt guilty thinking of her family. She bought some gifts and asked Max to bring them back. She told her parents that she could not go back because of her busy schoolwork.


    On Christmas Eve, Tristan came back only just before the day broke. He got on the bed and hugged her. After touching and kneading her, he took no further action. She felt he wasn¡¯t in a good mood.


    The next day, they flew to Hawaii.


    She always thought Christmas was a holiday for family get-togethers. It was curious for him to talk business over this holiday.


    On thewn that stretched to the horizon, Tristan was ying golf with somebody. He looked very different from how he usually looked in a polo shirt and golf pants.


    He was wearing sunsses, and Kate could not see his eyes, but she could sense that the depression he hadst night was gone.


    His client also brought a girl of a simr age to Kate. They were lying in the lounges under the umbre. They were also ying with their cell phones. After a while, the girl started the conversation and asked her what game she was ying.


    Kate said, ¡°I am studying Primary French.¡± The girl stared at her for a few seconds, like seeing an alien. And then she went back to her games silently.


    Kate, in fact, wasn¡¯t that studious at home, but when she saw this girl and the way she acted, she started to have crisis awareness. She was afraid one day she would turn into something like her, unable to live without the luxurious lifestyle.


    She needed to remind herself every second and prepare herself for a normal life after the agreement term was over.


    After she got tired of seeing the cell phone screen, she lifted her eyes. Tristan looked outstanding among hispanions. His walking, swinging the club, bending to pick the ball was so graceful.


    As ayman to this kind of sport, she felt his movements were urate and professional. She sighed and wondered what kind of world he would bring her to.


    After they finished the game as well as the business talk, Tristan seemed quite delighted. He even dragged her onto the green to teach her golf.


    Kate resisted, as it didn¡¯t belong to her original world. But Tristan persuaded her that she should give everything a try. If she didn¡¯t like it after trying, she could just give up.


    He taught her the rules, the pose, and stood behind her and held her hand, leading her hands in swinging the club. This kind of intimate position made her body stiff. He said to her, ¡°Rx.¡±


    And the word also evoked her untimely memory.


    The dinner with his client also gave her the jitters. With so many forks and spoons on the table, she had to focus all her attention on preventing any mistakes.


    After they got back to their hotel room, Tristan pushed her to the French window and kissed her. The background was the resplendent night view.


    Kate thought of her family. They were probably enjoying the feast of the year. Her mother and sisters might be busy in the kitchen, and her brother and father were watching games on TV in the living room.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Her clothes were stripped piece by piece without her knowledge. When the bell in the far distance struck, signaling a new day, she was being tortured and was moaning underneath him.


    After he finished, Tristan held her in his arms behind her in the tub. He kissed her ear and asked, ¡°You like it?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply.

 Chapter 80: Need A Good Spanking?

    His hands moved across her skin along the curve of her body. ¡°Better a glorious death than a shameful life? I found a saint?¡± Heughed and added, ¡°Or an ascetic nun?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t react to his ridicule.


    And he continued, ¡°Resist yummy food, resist nice clothing, resist orgasm¡­¡±


    She shivered at thest word he uttered as if deep in her body, there were still ripples caused by their activity just now.


    Tristan concluded, ¡°Your resistance and persistence have the only form and have no substance.¡±


    Kate said dryly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are saying.¡±


    ¡°You will know. Let me teach you.¡± His voice was low and appealing. At the same time, his fingers moved to her crotch in the water.


    She gave a muffled cry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t suppress yourself. If you want to cry, cry.¡±


    Kate bit her lips and resisted.


    He bit her on the scap suddenly, and the unexpected pain made her scream. He said with a satisfied smile, ¡°That is good.¡±


    Their three-day trip made Kate shed her skin both physically and spiritually. She was challenged to the extreme in both ways.


    Sex every night and shopping on thest day of the trip was challenging to her principles. Tristan took her to the luxury shops, andter half a dozen branded purses were sent to the hotel.


    In the jewel shop, a personal shopper brought out lustrous and brilliant jewels and let Kate try them on one by one.


    Kate frowned and thought to endure it for a while, but then she changed her mind and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like them.¡±


    Tristan was watching with folded hands and said, ¡°Then try others.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t like any of them.¡± Kate raised her voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t want toe here. I am not a Christmas tree that you can hang anything on. I am not your toy.¡±


    The young personal shopper was dumbfounded and forgot her trained mannerspletely. Tristan kept a stiff upper lip, and his eyes even held a smile of unknown meaning.


    After they got out of the shop, he said without showing his emotion, ¡°You at least should save face for me.¡±


    After her outbreak in the shop, Kate felt better but was still a little scared that Tristan would get angry. Hearing him say that, she argued, ¡°You don¡¯t care about my self-esteem, why should I save face for you?¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t expect her to be eloquent suddenly. He gave her a nce, said nothing, and kept on walking.


    Kate muttered behind him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that your face could not be lost in one or two words?¡±


    Tristan turned back and gave her a knock on the head.


    ¡°Oh, feeling smart now?¡±


    Kate rubbed her head and stared back at him. He waved a cab and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go have lunch.¡±


    ¡°No more exotic food.¡± She gave her conditions.


    Tristan was speechless. ¡°OK. American food, pig-head.¡±


    The next day they got back to Los Angeles.


    Though it was freezing when theynded, Kate felt secure. This seemed to be the real earth to her. She liked snow.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Though the scenery was monotonous and bleak, that was what winter should look like in her mind. The cold kept her sober and spirited.


    They hadn¡¯t seen Lucy for a few days, and she had lost much weight, though she still matched her name fatty.


    Lucy showed great sorrow that her two owners had left to have fun in Hawaii. She meowed sadly. Kate picked the cat up and asked, ¡°Fatty, did you miss your sister?¡±


    Tristan, who was unpacking the luggage, stopped his motion and reminded her, ¡°It calls me Dad.¡±


    Kate gave him a nce and said, ¡°You mean I should call you uncle?¡±


    Tristan ground his teeth. ¡°Need a good spanking?¡±


    After the New Year holidays, school started formally. Kate fit in school life quickly and soon changed into student mode. This kind of life made her feel at ease, and she enjoyed it more than anything else.


    Tristan had set specific rules for Kate. No burning the midnight oil, no losing weight, and most of all, nothing that would affect their sex life. Kate was speechless. Men could be so shameless and without boundaries.

 Chapter 81: Good Girl

    The school was also strict on students. Exams were every month, and there was quite a lot of schoolwork.


    Kate got the highest score in her ss in the first exam. This made the ssmates who gossiped about her social identity see her differently. Teachers also showed approval for Kate when they saw her.


    Kate looked calm, but her heart was delighted. It was the happiest thing for her in at least a year, or even since she had dropped out of school years ago.


    She called Max and told him about this. Max was very happy for her. He had been feeling guilty for the trouble he had caused her. And this was kind of making it up to her.


    After she got home, Tristan saw through her disguise and said, ¡°Good mood today?¡±


    Kate told him about her scores in the exam, and heughed, ¡°Good girl. What kind of prize do you want to have?¡±


    She thought about it and said, ¡°Can I not take those pills and soup?¡±


    Since the doctor had seen her when she got the fever, he had written a long list of all kinds of medications and gave her instructions for her diet.


    Since then, she has had to take all kinds of vitamins and other supplements. Laura was ordered to cook chicken soup, duck soup, fish soup, and some others she could not determine the main ingredient of.


    Kate¡¯s request was denied immediately.


    ¡°You are weak, the doctor said. And now you have schoolwork. You won¡¯t be able to provide me with a quality sex life if¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t insist anymore, as she didn¡¯t want to hear him repeating the reason. The good thing about the pills and soup was that her limbs had not felt so coldtely.


    The full-time school was like paradise for Kate. She could have whole days upied by studying. She could wear jeans and t shoes, even a simple ponytail in her hair.


    Kate got familiar with her ssmates and sometimes hung out with one or two girls in the small caf¨¦ or restaurants near the school. She tried to avoid wasting too much time on socializing, though.


    Sometimes she went shopping for some little things like hairpins or scarves in the boutiques. There was an alley behind the school with many restaurants, and food stands. Kate and her ssmates went there several times, and she loved it because the food was cheap and delicious.


    She met one of her ssmates who was waiting for their food at a food stand which sold hotdogs, pancakes, tacos, and food of all kinds when amotion happened all of a sudden.


    In broad daylight, a guy holding a stick walked over and, without saying anything, started to smash everything the food stand contained. The owner of the food stand wasn¡¯t a meek person either, he grabbed whatever he had by his hand that could serve as a weapon and started to fight back.


    The things on the stand and on the tables for the customers fell down, and eggs, vegetables, hotdogs, hams, pies were flying in the air and all over the ground.


    The customers and passersby were mostly students, and they screamed and fled the area. Soon there were more people joining the fight, and some passersby became victims in the chaos.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Kate and her ssmate followed the crowd fleeing towards the direction of the alley entrance. The road was narrow, and with too many foods stands, plus the people running in disorder, it was difficult to get out of the ce. There was no ce to hide from the chaos.


    And somebody took the chance to rob and pickpockets. Soon somebody cried that her purse and phone had been stolen. Kate clutched her satchel tightly and went with the crowd. When the crowd moved to a barbecue stand, they were stuck there because of too many tables on the roadside.


    The stand owner had already joined the fighting. A cooker with boiling oil was beside his stand, and it soon became a victim itself. It was pushed over, and the oil sshed out.


    In a millionth of a second, somebody shouted, ¡°watch out,¡± and pulled her to the other side. The oil was sshed in the ce where Kate had stood a moment earlier and still frizzled on the floor. A guy who got some drops on his feet cried in pain.


    Kate was shocked, and she raised her head to find the person who saved her was Jimmy.

 Chapter 82: How Did It Happened?

    Jimmy didn¡¯t say anything but held Kate¡¯s shoulder and moved through the crowd to a safer ce.


    The ce didn¡¯t much deserve the word safe either. It was messy too. It was the space between two houses. A huge garbage bin with scattered garbage around it served as cover. They stood behind the garbage bin and breathed the stench in the air.


    Kate tried to move to a ce farther away from the chaos. And the noise of shouting, screaming, throwing things, and beating was still audible.


    ¡°How did it happen?¡± She asked Jimmy.


    ¡°Gangs were fighting for territory, trouble provocation, revenge, and business rivalries.¡± Jimmy stared at the ground and said in a low voice.


    ¡°Gangs?¡± Kate was surprised. It was hard to imagine gangs fighting would happen in an alley close to school.


    Jimmy nodded. ¡°Because the business here is good. So this is a ce they fight over. It is not easy for the stand owners to survive here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t take care of this?¡±


    ¡°We cannot control it. And we should not either.¡±


    In fact, this was what the police were d to see. The fighting between gangs was advantageous to the police.


    ¡°Even if somebody dies?¡±


    Jimmy drew back his attention from the ground to Kate. ¡°We will get involved before that happens.¡±


    Kate paused a little and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you very dangerous too?¡±


    The guys fighting there were all like devils.


    Looking at her worried expression, a light shed over Jimmy¡¯s eyes. He padded his waist and said, ¡°We are prepared.¡±


    Kate saw something bulging under his coat. It was the shape of a gun.


    The next moment, Jimmy raised his hand toward her, as if he wanted to touch her face. Her heart was beating fast, but Jimmy¡¯s hand reached to her head and touched one strand of her hair. His hand retreated soon.


    He showed what was in his hand to her. It was her hairpin. She probably dropped it while she was running. He wanted to put it on for her but changed his mind and gave it back to her. There was a short moment of contact between their hands when he returned the pin.


    Jimmy seemed a little embarrassed and picked a subject. ¡°You go to school nearby?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kate also looked down at the ground and didn¡¯t dare to look at him.


    ¡°Seems he is good to you.¡± Jimmy¡¯s voice contained a little loss. ¡°I had seen youing out from that school several times when we passed by on missions.¡±


    Grievance came to her heart, and after a few seconds, she heard him ask, ¡°Last October, probably Columbus Day, did you call me?¡±


    Her heart shrank, and she wanted to deny it at first. But then she nodded and said, ¡°Yes, a woman answered my call.¡±


    Jimmy smiled bitterly, ¡°It was my ex-girlfriend. That day I went back to my grandma¡¯s birthday party. I was taking a shower, and the cell phone was not with me.¡±


    It had been quite a long time and seemed unnecessary to exin, but Jimmy said it anyway. He didn¡¯t want her to have the misunderstanding.


    Kate didn¡¯t reply.


    Looking at her smooth, straightened hair, his heart was gripped by an invisible hand. He asked, ¡°It was the time you needed help, so you¡­¡±


    He stopped to change the words, ¡°got together with that man?¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Before she could answer, he added, ¡°If I received the phone, then¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kate denied immediately.


    ¡°I called just to ask you when you would take back your clothes¡­¡±


    Kate bit her lips and hardened her heart, ¡°because if he saw it, he would be unhappy.¡±


    A silence followed.


    But she could hear and sense Jimmy¡¯s breathing changed. His chest, just a few inches from her eyes, was moving up and down.


    She thought bitterly that she had yed it well. Her rehearsals were not wasted.

 Chapter 83: Are You Gangsters?

    The narrow space became more confined because of the tension and depression in the air.


    They stood close to each other. It seemed there was a thin veil between them, which could be blown away by a heavier breath. Every second of this moment was precious as well as torturous to Kate.


    After some time, she looked to the alley to see the status of the chaos. When she just leaned forward a little, she was pulled back by the arm.


    Before she reacted to it, she saw a familiar face. Curly-hair was walking into the alley and passed by where they were hidden. He walked straight ahead and picked a stick from a broken stand on the way.


    When he arrived at a crowd of fighters who stood in a circle facing inside, he beat the few guys who blocked his way. They howled and made way for him. He pulled up the guy who was lying on the ground and supported him with his shoulder.


    They walked together along the road back to the main street, where they got into a car and left. The sound of sirens came from the distance.


    The people who were fighting started to flee.


    Jimmy grabbed Kate¡¯s hand, and the warmth transmitted from the hand to her heart. She didn¡¯t dare look at him, and her body remained stiff.


    ¡°Better I take you out of here. It is not safe here.¡± Jimmy said.


    A few secondster, his hand released her. She could feel the intentional dy. Her heart was beating fast in panic when he grabbed her hand, and when he let go, Kate felt a loss.


    The alley was messy. Not a single food stand or restaurant was spared from the destruction. There were seriously injured people on the ground that could not flee.


    Screaming, cursing, ambnce and police sirens were heard. Police cars blocked both ends of the alley, and almost all the culprits were arrested. Kate could see that this was a nned ambush.


    Jimmy walked her to the main street and found a cab for her.


    When the cab door closed, she said, ¡°You be careful.¡±


    The door blocked Jimmy¡¯s smile. When the car drove away, Kate looked back. He was still standing there, seeming a little lost, and his image was blurry.


    She sat back, and her heart was aching.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t her one-sided love. It was just that the time wasn¡¯t right.


    She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the bitterness.


    That evening, Tristan also mentioned the fighting when he came back. He didn¡¯t make anyments, just that it was not safe recently, and asked Kate to be careful and not to wander around in those ces.


    He asked Ed to apany her to and from school.


    The next morning, on her way to school, Ed said, ¡°I saw you yesterday, with the policeman.¡±


    Kate was shocked and met his eyes from the rearview mirror. He was observing and judging her.


    He added, ¡°I won¡¯t tell the boss.¡±


    After a pause, he said again, ¡°To be fair, you won¡¯t tell him what you saw.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Kate recalled he helped a man covered with blood and took him out.


    Ed then told her slowly, ¡°That was one of my brothers. We made a living together. I was lucky to go work for the bosster. He was less lucky and is now running a small business in that alley and just managing to support his family. He was almost killed by his foe.¡±


    ¡°I promised my boss that I would not get involved with these people. I will not do anything to harm him. If you and the policeman¡­¡±


    ¡°We did nothing.¡± Kate exined, ¡°He just passed by and saved me.¡±


    Ed smirked evilly. ¡°It is good then. If he did, he would be the one to regret it.¡±


    His expression, which contained evilness in jest, reminded Kate of him beating up others fiercely during the chaos. Kate¡¯s heart shrank.


    After a while, she could not help asking, ¡°Are you, gangsters?¡±


    Ed was shocked and looked at her, ¡°Who? The boss?¡±


    Kate nodded.


    He sneered but offered no answer to her question.

 Chapter 84: Do You Love Me?

    In the ssroom, the teacher was lecturing meticulously.


    Kate was sitting there with a pen in her hand and writing something in her notebook. But she wasn¡¯t listening to the teacher.


    Running into Jimmy yesterday was like throwing a stone into the peacefulke of her heart.


    Some suppressed emotion came back to the surface.


    She could still feel Jimmy¡¯s breath. They were once that close-she could not help to measure the distance with the pen in her hand. Her fingers moved on the pen to imagine the distance between them.


    It was weird and probably inappropriate to have fantasies about him still, especially after she had had sexual rtions with Tristan and had indelible marks on her body. It was disrespectful or even insulting to both him and her first love.


    Kate indulged in her meditation and was self-abandoned at the moment.


    When she came back to her senses, she found the page was full of Jimmy¡¯s name. She tore it off hastily, squeezed it into a ball, and put it into her pocket. She looked around and found everyone was listening attentively and was d to see nobody noticed her action, let alone read her mind.


    During the break, Kate took out that paper ball spread it, and tore it into pieces, and threw it into the dustbin at the back of the ssroom.


    Seeing the pieces flying down from her fingers like snowkes, she felt she was saying goodbye to her first love. First love, it was the throne she put Jimmy on. It was now just an extravagant memory of hers.


    When thest piece of paper fell into the dustbin, Kate rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She and he were bound to be poles apart.


    At the same time, Jimmy was sitting in his office for once, a rare time without field service. He was clicking the keyboard of theputer to write a report on yesterday¡¯s action.


    The n for removing the gangsters in LA had begun at the beginning of the year. Yesterday was one part of the n. He was in charge of the field, detecting and informing his teammates toe at the right time to arrest the culprits at the scene.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    After he finished thest word of his report, he threw it to the clerk in his office for polishing his wording. Jimmy rubbed his temples and was distracted; he thought of the scene in the alley.


    He sighed and pulled out the drawer of his desk, and took out a ck cover notebook.


    Aunty Aileen, the wife of Jimmy¡¯s hero Uncle Jack, had called and told him that she found a notebook while she was rearranging her house. It looked like some work notes, so she called to ask him if he wanted to see it.


    Jimmy was excited and went to get it. But after he came back, he browsed it all night and was disappointed. Uncle Jack was rigorous in solving a case, but unfortunately, his writing was illegible. Plus, the notes were for himself only, so the scrawl was indecipherable to Jimmy.


    Jimmy took the notebook and flipped through onest time, and then put it back in the drawer and locked it. He leaned back in the chair and raised his hand to his eyes.


    In the sunshine, his fingers were long, with thick calluses at the inner side of the palm. He reflected on the feeling of touching another smooth and gentle hand and got distracted.


    When he was in love with Linda, she always asked him, ¡°Do you love me?¡±


    He was impatient to this affected dialogue and always replied perfunctorily, andter, he simply ignored her. She would sigh and say, ¡°You don¡¯t love me,¡± or ¡°You don¡¯t know about love at all.¡±


    He was speechless and amused at her words. He asked, ¡°You know? Tell me what love is.¡±


    Linda thought for a while and then said seriously, ¡°All in all, love is missing another person. Sometimes you will feel bitter, sad, angry, jealous, contradictory¡­¡±


    Jimmy almost wanted to fall asleep. And she concluded, ¡°It is a feeling that you don¡¯t feel for any other people except him. And love will make you turn into a different person.¡±


    Jimmy took it as a joke, but now he had to admit that he was missing someone.

 Chapter 85: I Came To See You

    Since yesterday, in less than 24 hours, Jimmy had thought of Kate countless times. No matter whether he was busy or idle, whenever there was a second, the idea of her woulde buzzing to him like a fly.


    Moving backward in his memory, since early this year, no,st autumn, when he met her with that guy, he kept thinking of her. He worried that she wasn¡¯t happy, worried that the man didn¡¯t treat her nice.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    As he knew, few people were really happy, even in the same situation as Kate¡¯s.


    And he saw her closely yesterday. She hadn¡¯t lost weight. She was wearing decent clothing and was going to school.


    It seemed that Tristan Fox was treating her nicely. However, she hadn¡¯t changed a lot. Her air was different, with something more for a man to look at and memorize and reflect upon. She was, simply put, more feminine.


    It wasn¡¯t his imagination.


    Then Jimmy had a strong feeling. It was jealousy. He was jealous of Tristan Fox.


    In the past few months, he tried to persuade himself that it was her own choice and he should support her, as they were friends. Weren¡¯t they?


    But the truth was, she wasn¡¯t just a friend to him.


    Linda said he didn¡¯t know about rtionships.


    That was why he missed it.


    He missed it so carelessly, and it made him unwilling to admit that he had missed it already.


    The phone rang and interrupted his thoughts. ire was quicker than him and picked up the phone.


    After a few yes and okay¡¯s, she put down the phone and walked to Jimmy. ¡°Jimmy, they found a body in the seaside.¡±


    Jimmy frowned and said, ¡°You report it to the Captain first.¡±


    ire stuck out her tongue and ran to the Captain¡¯s office. Soon she ran back again and said, ¡°Captain said you could take us to see it.¡±


    Jimmy raised his eyebrows, ¡°We? Did you finish editing my report?¡±


    ire nodded hastily. She was full of expectation but also had a little resentment. Because she was a girl, the paperwork was always thrown to her.


    Among the few rookies, she was the one who graduated with the highest scores.


    Jimmy was reluctant to take her, but he took up his coat from the chair and said, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go. Ask Bill toe again.¡±


    ire was cheerful and waved to the guy in the corner, ¡°Bill, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The body was found on the shore of a nearby ind. When one of the inhabitants walked his dog, it had detected the stench and run to a pile of rocks. The body was inside a sack among the rocks.


    When they got there, the local police had pulled the warning line, and some of the inhabitants were watching outside. When the car stopped, ire ran immediately to the site, but after just a few seconds, she turned back and retched.


    Billughed at her, but he wasn¡¯t feeling much better. He took one look and walked away feeling sick.


    Jimmy wasn¡¯t surprised at this kind of scene. He got close to the rotten corpse and walked around it, took some pictures and notes, identified a few important things, and then asked for the corpse to be shipped to the coroner for autopsy.


    At the weekend, Kate went to some bookstores to buy a few reference books. She stood in front of the shelf of economy and finance and picked among the books.


    She had so concentrated on the books that when she turned around, she bumped into someone. She apologized hastily, but herst word dried up when she saw the person she was speaking to. It was Jimmy.


    It had been a week since she encountered himst.


    She had made up her mind to say goodbye to the past. It took her great trouble to squeeze her bitterness and despair and all the memories about him into a small box and shove it to the darkest corner of her heart.


    Seeing him again was like suddenly opening the closed box again.


    She opened her mouth and tried to ask calmly, ¡°You are buying books?¡±


    Jimmy looked at her for a few seconds silently, and then he put a finger in his mouth to tell her to keep silent. Then he pulled her satchel on her shoulder and opened it.


    Kate didn¡¯t know what he was doing, but she trusted him thoroughly and kept silent.


    She saw him take out her cell phone from her bag, unloaded the battery, and checked it carefully, and then he put it back in her satchel.


    And then he said to her in a very low voice, ¡°I came to see you.¡±


    Kate was surprised. And he said in an even lower voice, ¡°I think I have a lead on Caroline¡¯s case.¡±

 Chapter 86: You Don鈥檛 Trust Me?

    It was a man¡¯s body, between 25 and 30 years old. The time of death was determined to be about one year ago. After soaking in seawater and rotting on the ground for so long, there were no facial characteristics to be identified.


    The forensic team attempted to reconstruct the image of his head face on theputer. They also checked the missing people¡¯s personal records and had used a DNA test to identify the dead body.


    The body was confirmed to be that of Henry Texton, a man from Utah who worked in the Chasin Group Networking Center. Texton was fired for indulging in gambling and online games on thepanywork.


    Jimmy learned from his colleague that after Henry left Chasin, he had trouble finding a permanent job. He had worked as a technical manager for an Inte caf¨¦ for some time. He lived with his girlfriend in a rented house.


    The address sounded familiar to Jimmy. He suddenly thought of another person who lived there too. A few names came together in his mind.


    Jimmy took out a picture of Caroline and showed it to Henry¡¯s colleague, and asked him if that was Henry¡¯s girlfriend. He nodded and said yes. He added with a little embarrassment that he only saw her once, but he could recognize her because she was so pretty.


    Jimmy took a picture of Henry to the address where Caroline and Henry had lived. The house there had already been demolished. Luckily, he found the woman he metst time who had been collecting the garbage. She looked at the picture of Henry and nodded vigorously, confirming his identity as Caroline¡¯s ¡°husband.¡±


    The stairway to thest floor of the bookstore was a ce few people would pass by. Jimmy took Kate there and asked her, ¡°Do you know Caroline had a boyfriend?¡±


    Kate shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. We had not contacted each other for over a year.¡±


    ¡°They disappeared at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°We just found her boyfriend¡¯s body.¡± Jimmy looked at Kate and said slowly and distinctly, ¡°Gunshot in the head, body tossed into the sea.¡±


    ¡°He was a staff member at Chasin Group.¡±


    Before Kate could react, Jimmy asked immediately, ¡°The one who kidnapped you, is he from Chasin Group?¡±


    Kate stopped breathing. Jimmy continued, ¡°It is not because of money that you are with Fox; it is because you are forced to, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Panic shed on Kate¡¯s face.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Jimmy saw her reaction and knew his conjecture was right. He grabbed her hand in excitement and regret, saying, ¡°Kate, I misunderstood you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kate thought of his threatening immediately and denied it instinctually. Kate averted her gaze, ¡°I am with him because he helped me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Max fought with somebody outside the school and injured a guy. He was ckmailed¡­¡±


    Jimmy frowned at her words, ¡°Last October?¡±


    Kate nodded in a trance.


    ¡°You approached him?¡±


    Kate paused. She could not tell Jimmy that she went to be an escort for money.


    Jimmy said, ¡°They approached you?¡±


    Kate could not say anything. Jimmy inferred himself, ¡°It was so strange. You know, they intercepted your phone. They knew everything about you. But,¡± he suddenly changed his mind, ¡°since they had done so many things, does it ever ur to you that the whole thing might be a scheme?¡±


    Jimmy¡¯s inference again made Kate feel dumbfounded. Obviously, she had never thought of this.


    Her phone in the bag vibrated and scared the hell out of her. She took it out and saw the name ¡°Ed.¡± He must be impatiently waiting outside. She looked to Jimmy.


    He nodded, ¡°Answer it.¡±


    Kate gave it a thought and walked a few steps away from Jimmy, and pressed on. The voice sounded merry, ¡°You know where I am now?¡±


    She was startled and heard him said, ¡°I am in LACC. Your brother is with me.¡±


    She recalled that Ed didn¡¯te with her today. It was Sam who had driven her here.


    The voice turned gloomy, ¡°I heard that you are with the policeman now. Did you forget what I told you?¡± And then he said, ¡°Your brother wanted to talk with you.¡±


    And then it changed to Max. ¡°Kate? What are you going to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Kate, are you there?¡±


    Kate took a long time to find her own voice. She said drily, ¡°I am in the bookstore. I want to ask you if you need any books.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I thought it was something important. No. Thank you.¡±


    And the phone was returned to Ed. She said with a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t touch my brother.¡±


    The voice turned merry again, ¡°It is your decision, Kate.¡±


    After Kate hung up, she took her time topose herself, put her phone back in her satchel, and turned to Jimmy, ¡°I have to go now. I need to go back.¡±


    ¡°Back to that guy?¡± Jimmy¡¯s voice was full of some unknown emotion.


    ¡°What else can I do?¡± Kate looked at him and asked seriously, ¡°Can you arrest him immediately?¡±


    Jimmy paused and said, ¡°We have to report first and then wait for the approval to open a case¡­¡±


    Kate was disappointed inside, ¡°So I have to go back. And it would be best if you could get justice for Caroline, but,¡± she paused again, ¡°I cannot be a witness.¡±


    Jimmy frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    She smiled sadly and said softly, ¡°I trust you. But I only trust you.¡±

 Chapter 87: Meeting With An Old Lover?

    Tristan got back in the evening and saw Kate sitting on the couch. The TV wasn¡¯t on, and the fat cat wasn¡¯t with her. She sat up straight and looked at him coldly and strangely.


    He knew what happened. He strolled to her and said in a neutral tone, ¡°How was it? Meeting with an old lover?¡±


    Kate stood up and didn¡¯t reply. She stared into his eyes and said, ¡°Max¡¯s fight was your scheme?¡±


    Tristan stared at her for a few seconds and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart sank. She had a little expectation that he would deny this.


    Tristan looked at her and ridiculed, ¡°The police helped you analyze this?¡±


    The reply to his question was a moment of silence. A p on her face. It made a loud p. Before she could feel the pain, Tristan grabbed her wrist and squeezed the words between his teeth, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    She had tears in her eyes all of a sudden.


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked softly and then raised her voice, ¡°Why? Because of the dimples on my face?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Tristan was choked, and before he could speak, he saw her tears drop down, and she questioned, ¡°How old is my brother? He is just a student. You scared him to death.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how hard I made the decision to take that way?¡±


    ¡°How could you do that? Because you have money and power, you do whatever you want to decide other people¡¯s lives? How could you?¡±


    Kate¡¯s voice was scratchy now, and tears fell along her cheeks and dropped on Tristan¡¯s heart. Her wrist was still in his hand. He wanted to hug her, but she beat his hand and dodged.


    She shouted with derision, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. You make me sick.¡±


    Tristan ignored her and pulled her hard into his arms.


    Kate struggled with her hands and feet, like a bird fighting to get free at the cost of its feathers. Tristan held her in his arms from behind and controlled her arms and waist. He yelled to her, ¡°Kate! Stop.¡±


    She didn¡¯t listen to him and was still twisting her body to get loose. He called her ¡°Lucy¡­¡±


    Kate shivered and retorted with a husky voice, ¡°Don¡¯t call me Lucy. I am not your cat.¡±


    She took a few breaths and said with an even huskier voice, ¡°That cat was raised by her?¡± Laura said the cat was not young. She had seen its record. It was ten years old.


    Tristan didn¡¯t reply.


    Kate didn¡¯t think about it when Laura had told her. She just thought that was a coincidence. Now she felt sad. What kind of life had she been involved in?


    Just because of her dimples? And the same name as a cat?


    This revtion was like a small needle stabbing her heart. Her emotions were like a deted balloon, shrinking immediately. Her strained body also softened down and rxed, but Tristan still held her in his arms.


    So they just stood there in the living room in awkward positions. After a moment, Kate asked suddenly, ¡°How many people have you killed?¡±


    She felt the arms around her stiffen.


    She closed her eyes and said, ¡°Let me go.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even imagine it.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go, I will tell you.¡±


    ¡°Unless you don¡¯t want the lives of your families affected.¡±


    He sounded calm, and the threat held the same power. Kateughed and said, ¡°We are poor people. It is worthy of using our lives to exchange yours.¡±


    Tristan seemed to lose his patience. He turned her back by the shoulders, suddenly forcing her to face him.


    His expression was so evil like she had not seen before, and his voice icy as ever, ¡°I let you vent out because you are upset, but you don¡¯t push your luck. Don¡¯t you ever think of negotiating with me or threatening me? You think about what cards you have to y before doing that.¡±


    Kate was shocked by his shouts, and she saw the frenzy in his eyes, ¡°You are right. I am not a nice guy. Don¡¯t forget the first time you saw me. Do you need me to help you recall that?¡±


    And before Kate could make any response to ease off, he carried her into the bathroom and put her upper body into the tub, and started to open the tap.


    His action was so experienced, and Kate recognized his attempt. She fought, but how could she outdo his strength. The water in the tub was rising.


    She tried to tilt her face and raise her head. Her two hands grabbed his arms tightly and pressed against him to resist the force to press her down.


    After Tristan opened the water, he pressed her down with his hands and stared into her face. Her hair was messy and wet; some was stuck on her face.


    Kate¡¯s eyes were bright and widened. No more tears in her eyes now, only stubbornness and indomitable courage. Her fingers had pierced Tristan¡¯s skin even though his arms were covered in fabric.


    They fought in silence. The only sound was running water. Time was passing second by second, and the surface of the water was rising inch by inch. Soon it would drown her. Kate¡¯s pale earlobes had been immersed by water.


    ¡°Scared?¡± Tristan asked calmly after she began hyperventting.


    Kate didn¡¯t answer, not knowing whether it was because of contempt or an attempt to conserve her strength.


    ¡°It is a little progress to be scared.¡± Tristan released his hand, and her body sprang out of the water and sshed water out of the tub. She lost her bnce and fell on the floor. Tristan sat on the floor, too, ignoring his pricey suits that were doused by the water on the floor.


    They were both breathing heavily, but Kate was breathing more vehemently, with theplicated emotions from returning from hell.


    Later, Tristan¡¯s hand sought her face. She didn¡¯t dodge this time and allowed him to rub his palm against her cheeks.


    He pulled her softly up to his arm, lifted her face, and started to kiss her.


    First, he touched her lips carefully with his, andter his tongue probed into her mouth and sucked, and then swept violently.


    The tub was ignored, and the water was still filling it. The sound of the running water covered the sound they made with their tongues and mouth water and also covered the moaning and panting afterward.

 Chapter 88: Anonymous Accusation Letter?

    The authorities soon cracked down on Henry Texton. After he was fired, he further indulged in gambling and had to borrow money from illegal private banks. He could not return the loan at the deadline and borrowed more from other banks to pay off the previous ones. Finally, one of the irritated loan sharks shot him.


    And it was such a coincidence that among the guys arrested for battery in the alley near the college, one of them worked for that very bank. He confessed to ordering the hit on Henry.


    The illegal banks were the targets of the police investigation this time, and his boss fled before the fighting happened.


    The case was closed, but Jimmy still did not feel right. He talked to his Captain in private to confide his doubts. He wanted to trace from the lead of Chasin Group because Henry¡¯s girlfriend went missing at the same time Henry got shot. And she had asked her friend to help keep a CD containing Chasin Group data.


    The Captain asked, ¡°Where is the evidence? Witness?¡±


    Jimmy thought of Kate¡¯s concerns and could not reply.


    The Captain said earnestly, ¡°Now is the critical moment to crack the gangs. We need to focus on this task. Stop chasing these vaporous rumors. Besides, with anything rted to the Chasin Group, we have to be very cautious. Now even the Mayor has to treat them with deference. Last time after the investigation of the anonymous usation letter, our chief had to call him personally to pacify the matter.¡±


    ¡°Anonymous usation letter?¡±


    Captain waved his hand and said, ¡°It has nothing to do with us. It has been proved that it was framing andyout of thin air.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe not,¡± Jimmy muttered.


    Captain gave him a nce, ¡°You know Chasin is the star enterprise of our city. It is now undertaking the World Trade Center project, thendmark building of the city. And they had built the Mdy of Sea Square and other charity projects before that. They have a good reputation among LA citizens. And even Mr. Fox is rumored to marry the Mayor¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Heughed and concluded, ¡°Anyway, that enterprise is a brand of our city.¡±


    Seeing Jimmy still frowning and disapproving, Captain patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Jimmy, your performance is excellent after you were transferred to the criminal section. I named you to lead the team in this task. Don¡¯t make trouble for both you and me.¡±


    And he said in an obscure way, ¡°Something we can only do after being instructed.¡±


    Jimmy got back to his desk, feeling depressed. He thought of Kate¡¯s sad smile and the words she said to him, ¡°I trust you only.¡± His heart was overwhelmed by impotence that he had not felt for quite some time.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    He thought of Uncle Jack. Jimmy had worked as a policeman for five years, participated in many cases, and won many prizes. But for this case and the person he cared for most, he could do nothing. He was disheartened.


    He opened the drawer again and took out the notebook that he pinned his hopes on.


    Tristan got back at about 10 pm and saw Kate was having dinner. She didn¡¯t give him a look when he entered. He frowned, ¡°Why do you eat sote?¡±


    Laura, who was serving the dishes, looked awkward. He understood immediately. Kate was having a tantrum.


    After the outbreak of the day before, she started a cold war of non-violence protest. It was not acute, but she kept him aware of her bad mood or even fury all the time.


    The food was rich.


    Tristan sat down and asked Laura to bring him a set of tes and cutlery. He had a meeting on the project progress, and the food he had ordered was cold. He felt ufortable in his stomachtely, so he didn¡¯t eat much of it.


    Kate bent down her head and focused on the te in front of her. Tristan didn¡¯t care.


    He moved the roasted chicken closer to him and cut a big piece from it. Soon he found that she would not touch any food he moved close to him. She would take from the te that was close to her only.


    He moved almost all food closer to himself one by one on impulse. When she reached out her hand for the croissants in the basket that was closest to her a few seconds ago, she found it was gone. She put down the fork and stood up to leave.


    Tristan said coldly, ¡°Finish what is on your te. My food is not to be wasted.¡±


    She stood for a few seconds and stared at him silently. Then she sat down and finished the remained vegetables on her te and then left.

 Chapter 89: Reason

    Laura was dumbfounded. She had never seen anybody offend her boss. She assumed he would lose his temper, but he continued eating at ease. After he finished eating, Tristan stood up to leave and asked Laura to clean up the table.


    When he got back to the bedroom, Kate had finished her shower and was in bed. It had only been ten minutes. He didn¡¯t know how she could finish in such a short time.


    After Tristan took a shower and came out of the bathroom, he saw Kate covered in a nket up to her ears. She slept on her side and kept her back to him. She was lying there still as if she had fallen asleep.


    Another important part of the cold war was not allowing Tristan to touch her. Of course, if he used force, she had to obey, but he didn¡¯t want to. As a healthy adult, especially after being single for such a long time, it was natural for him to have a strong desire.


    However, he knew he was losing control over Kate. It wasn¡¯t a good sign for a person who required everything to be disciplined and has ordered.


    Knowing she could not be asleep so soon, he took a book to the bed and turned to the page he left off fromst time. He said, ¡°Tomorrow evening, you will go with me to a dinner party.¡±


    The person lying beside him made no response. He continued, ¡°I know you can hear me, so that is it. Tomorrow afternoon I will have someone send a dress.¡±


    Kate, though ying dumb, not workable, said in a muffled voice, ¡°I am not going.¡±


    ¡°Reason?¡±


    ¡°Studying.¡±


    Tristan sneered, ¡°Only people without efficiency spend all the time studying or working.¡±


    And then he turned solemn, ¡°Since you are so busy, I will have to inform your school thatpared to your duties as a student, you have more important things to do.¡±


    He never believed a person could be without any desire. Some people looked so long for nothing. That was only because they were not enlightened.


    For business, the need sometimes could be created. He felt her back stiffen and was satisfied with the effect of his words, ¡°I will have a drivere to pick you up tomorrow evening.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t protest. She acquiesced in the decision.


    Tristan looked at the book in his hand, but none of the words went into his head.


    His memory came alive to see the photos Sam showed him on his cell phone days ago. Between two bookshelves, bookshelves, Kate and the policeman looked at each other with feelings words could not speak out describe.


    Tristan flew into a fury at the sight of the photo. Until now, his anger had not subsided much. His woman has another man in her heart. It was really unbearable.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    To make things worse, they looked made for each other in the photo¡ªsimr ages,patible personalities, and the same silliness exclusive to young people.


    The way the policeman looked at Kate showed he definitely was in love with her in his heart. Tristan could see it at first sight. If he didn¡¯t take cruel measures at the very beginning, it was hard to tell in whose bed she wouldy now.


    The next afternoon, an expensive dress was sent from a notable brand-name shop. Apanied with the dress was a dresser. Tristan spent almost two hours on her face and hair, and Kate could hardly recognize the person in the mirror when he finished.


    The dress was a red mini dress, with a small V cut in the front and a deep V cut in the back. It revealed her sculpted shoulders and the broad part of her fair back, outlining a curvy and sexy figure. The dress length was above her knees, highlighting the curves of her legs and the youth and loveliness of the wearer.


    To match her dress, Tristan applied crimson color to her lips. Kate was not used to such rich makeup, but after a few seconds of evaluation in the mirror, she had to admit that this kind of makeup had its special style and favor.


    Growing and transforming happened without one realizing it. And when she realized the change, Kate was surprised to see the simple girl who wore the white fur coatst winter had transformed into a maturedy with amazing glows.


    There had been a qualitative leap in her.


    One the way to the party, Kate was counting the changes she had experienced over the past few months. She felt panic at first, but she persuaded herself to ept them gradually. She nned to improve herself and make herself stronger. Perhaps these changes were simply part of the process.

 Chapter 90: What Are You Looking For?

    Kate arrived at Tristan¡¯s office. She had heard about the magnificence of Chasin headquarters, but when she saw it personally, she was still shocked.


    When she got there, her driver called Tristan. Tristan wanted to speak to her. Kate put the phone to her ear and heard him ask, ¡°Do you want toe up to see where I work?¡±


    Kate paused a little and said okay.


    A few minutester, Tristan¡¯s secretary led her to the building. Not to mention the majesty and modern style of the lobby, even the guards were all tall, handsome, and imposing.


    Taking the VIP elevator to the top floor, the secretary opened the office door for her and then left. Kate walked in and saw Tristan sitting at his executive desk, with a phone in his left hand and a pen in his right hand. He wore only a ck shirt, without a tie, with his sleeves rolled up, showing off his firm arms.


    That was what he looked like at work, Kate thought.


    Then she started to regreting up here. She had been trying to avoid him, so why had shee up here to have more contact with him?


    Tristan saw her and nodded, pointing around the room, and went on with his call.


    She knew he meant to ask her to look around as she liked.


    Kate had no idea what an office should look like for a person on his level. She felt the room was huge but seemed tock decoration. There was a shelf on one side of the wall that disyed all kinds of trophies.


    Kate curved her lips. She walked over to see each of them. She turned back to look at Tristan, Outstanding Young People of the year. She shook her head. If there was a selection of morbid people of the year, he deserved to win the first prize.


    She went close to the French windows and looked out. The view was broad and magnificent. She tried to identify thendmark buildings of the city. Looking down, the streets were like small ribbons, and the cars and people were like ants. She felt excited at the view.


    She heard Tristan talking about something she didn¡¯t understand at all, and she caught a glimpse of him rubbing his temple. Looking down to the street again, she suddenly felt cold for him at this high altitude.


    She turned to her side and found there was another door. She pushed it open gently and found it was a lounge¡ªa bed with snow-white sheets. Driven by an unknown force, she walked in and scanned the room with her sharp eyes.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice from behind made her taken aback. She was embarrassed, like a thief being caught picking a pocket.


    Tristan looked at his watch. ¡°We should go now.¡± He walked to the wardrobe and pulled open the door, ¡°Come here, pick a tie for me.¡±


    Kate walked over stiffly. The contents of the wardrobe were close to what was in the vi cloakroom. As Tristan was waiting, she pointed to one randomly. And he asked, ¡°Any other ones?¡±


    So she pointed to half a dozen more. Tristan selected one from her choices andmented, ¡°Good choice.¡±


    She felt awkward as well as amused. What did he mean by good choice?


    They descended down on the panoramic lift for the visitors. Kate closed her eyes and felt the speed of their descent. He asked, ¡°Have fun?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    She shook her head without thinking.


    Heughed lightly. She added, ¡°It is not a ce to have fun.¡±


    Tristan smiled, ¡°It is my yground.¡±


    Kate opened her eyes and gave him a nce with the corners of her eyes. She felt sorry for this man. As she was thinking, the lift had arrived on the first floor. When she walked out of the lift, she waved her hand in front of her face to flick away the bizarre ideas.


    Tristan¡¯s car drove slowly into a gate of a big luxurious house huddled between the city¡¯s mountains and beach. The dinner party was held here.


    An SUV was driving on the other side of the city, heading downtown. Jimmy was reflecting on the scenes that had happened just now.


    He went to a remote seaside vige earlier today. He found the address that he took great effort to get. It was a fisherman¡¯s house. A man in his forties was sorting out his fishing and the gears to be used on his boat.


    He heard the sound of the car and saw Jimmy walking down. His eyes showed some alertness, and he asked in an unfriendly tone whom Jimmy was looking for.


    Jimmy noticed he had only two fingers on his left hand. He spoke as politely as he could, ¡°I am from the city criminal police. I wanted to learn some information from you.¡±


    ¡°I heard you were working in LA Customs as a porter. Why did you quit?¡±


    The man waved his crippled left hand, meaning he could not do it anymore.


    Jimmy showed surprise intentionally and asked, ¡°Could you tell me how that happened?¡±


    The man continued his job without lifting his head, ¡°Crashed by cargo.¡±


    Jimmy paused a little and then asked suddenly, ¡°Do you know Jack Pardey?¡± He saw the man¡¯s hand jerk a little. Jimmy added, ¡°He was my coach, my teacher.¡±

 Chapter 91: Don鈥檛 You Fool Me

    It was a birthday party that Tristan took Kate to. The birthday person host was a 70-year-old man who helped Tristan when he first started out in business. He was an out-going and jovial man who had friends of various social statuses.


    The party was lively, boisterous, and merry.


    When Tristan and Kate greeted him, his bright and piercing eyes scanned Kate and nodded in approval, ¡°What a pretty girl! Tristan, I see why you turned up your nose at my daughter.¡±


    Tristanughed, ¡°Your daughter rejected me.¡±


    The old manughed and shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t you fool me. I will not force you.¡±


    The dining hall was as huge as a restaurant with ultra-luxurious decoration. Over two dozen tables were ced there, and Kate sat with the female guests at one table.


    Tristan was at the table with the host and was drinking. Surprisingly one of the female guests was someone she knew, the foe who had almost thrown her into the sea. Apparently, she was an expert in socializing. She was engaging in conversations with many people and entertaining them with her witty remarks and charming smiles.


    One or two people tried to talk to Kate, but only with ttering or prying intentions. Kate didn¡¯t like them. She didn¡¯t think she needed to make friends with these people. So she walked around the house.


    Mr. Hitchcock was an interesting person. He had a mini aquarium in his house. Kate stood in front of a row of veryrge fish tanks, observing the rare and strange-looking fish. She put her fingers on the ss, and a few small redfish swam over in curiosity.


    A voice from behind her sounded, ¡°This fish has an average life of seventy years. Some even live up to two hundred years¡­¡±


    Kate turned back and saw a strange young man, speaking in a polite and friendly manner.


    The man continued, ¡°It is always kept as a pet because of the auspicious sign. Somebody called it a fortune fish or a wish fish.¡±


    Kate startled, ¡°Wish?¡±


    ¡°Yes. People make wishes to it.¡±


    ¡°Does it work?¡±


    The man chuckled, ¡°You can try it yourself.¡±


    Of course, it is a superstition, but why not try it, in case it might work?


    So after the man walked away to see the other collections of Mr. Hitchcock, Kate crossed her fingers and faced the fish tank, prayed, ¡°Dear fish god, please help me get rid of¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± A voice sounded from behind her.


    Kate frowned and added the words ¡°Tristan¡± hurriedly.


    Tristan left the table to answer a call earlier. He went to the hallway, and after he listened for a few seconds, he scowled, ¡°Searching in that ce? What a stubborn guy.¡±


    The caller asked him what to do next, and he asked him instead, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    After he finished the call, Tristan was in no mood to get back to the conversation with the guests in the dining hall, so he walked out to the yard.


    The spring evening was cool, and there was a soft and pleasant breeze. The vast yard had awn surrounded by trees. There were some shadows moving to and fro. Everything looked surreal.


    The air in this suburban area was fresh. Looking up at the sky, many stars were visible, like gems in dark velvet. It was beautiful, but Tristan felt the dome was like a big dark mouth that might swallow him and his world up.


    Tristan drew back his attention and thought of Kate. He turned to find her. He walked around the house but could not find her.


    On the contrary, he met Jessie¡¯s sorrowful and resentful eyes. She wore a ck dress and looked pale and gaunt. He nodded to her slightly and walked to the stairway.


    As soon as Tristan got to the second floor, he saw the person he was looking for. Kate¡¯s red dress was outstanding, and he saw a man in the same room too.


    This familiar scene made Tristan displeased.


    That man happened to turn to Kate, and Kate turned back at his call. They looked at each other, and her big eyes blinked as her eyshes trembled.


    Tristan said, ¡°Hi, Owen. Long time no see.¡±


    Tristan thought himself an open-minded person, but today he felt a little regret for bringing Kate here.


    He held Kate¡¯s hand and left. Kate turned back to the fish tank, winked at the fish, and said in his heart, ¡°Look clear. I mean this man.¡±


    One or two people passed by the corridor asionally. Kate was dragged by Tristan and staggered along. They went to a door, he opened it, pulled her in, and closed the door behind them.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Kate was about to speak; he pushed her to the door and bent down to kiss her.


    In the darkness, he savaged her lips and tongue for a while, and then he let her go. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and snapped, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Tristan fumbled and reached the switch of the light. He switched it on, and the room was lit. He looked around. It was a small room with only a piano inside. It was the one that Mr. Hitchcock¡¯s grandson was learning piano with.


    His attention went back to Kate¡¯s blushing face. He touched her lips with messed lipsticks and smiled, ¡°Crazy? You are ignorant.¡±


    After that, Tristan switched off the light again, and they returned to the darkness.

 Chapter 92: You Can Just Strip It

    A sense of foreboding rose in Kate¡¯s heart. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    With a click, the door was locked. And she heard him say the vulgar word in her ear. She was ashamed and shocked, ¡°Are you crazy? This is another person¡¯s house.¡±


    Tristan pressed her tightly to the door, and his hand reached down to her lower body. He said with temptation in a low voice, ¡°It is more exciting to do it in other people¡¯s houses.¡±


    This madman drove Kate crazy.


    She could not do this in other people¡¯s houses. She pushed him away with all her strength, scratching him and pinching him, but she could not stop him from putting one of his legs between her legs and reaching his hand to her crotch and her butt.


    The two people were fighting silently in the darkness. As Kate¡¯s head was against the door, she was sensitive to the sound outside. When she heard footsteps outside, she had to stop.


    This gave the madman a chance to grab her hands and keep her under control. His left hand easily pinned her hands to the door above her head.


    Then he started the all-sided attack. His mouth moved along her mouth to her neck and her ears and teased her with his tongue.


    His right hand was rubbing and kneading her sensitive parts outside her stockings and underpants audaciously andsciviously. She was sorry that her body was not much under her control.


    After being touched with the familiar technique and rhythm, it was like reacting to the calling of some force; she gradually responded to it and pushed her to extreme embarrassment.


    Feeling the fabric soaked with moisture, Tristan¡¯s evil fingers tried to poke through. The contact with this substance brought strange stimtion, and Kate bit her lips to mute her cries.


    Because the obstacle affected the feeling in his hand, he tried to break the stocking with his fingernail. Kate had to protest, ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    He said in her ear, ¡°Then what do you want?¡± At the same time, he used his already erected lower part to bump her. Tristan had turned into a beast, wildly immersed in his desire. Kate had topromise, ¡°You can just strip it.¡±


    However, the stocking of excellent quality was broken, and his cunning hand went into it like a flexible fish and found its way along the edge of her underpants, and slipped into her groove.


    She gave out a suppressed moan from her throat. Her lips had pressed against each other tightly, but it could not stop the sound of her moans froming out.


    His two fingers went in and out wantonly. After a short moment of pain, the desire in her body started to surge up. When the intruder departed, a stream of spring followed it out.


    He raised his hand to her face. In the darkness, she could still see the shining of the moisture. He said wickedly, ¡°Still have someone in your heart?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    She turned aside with embarrassment.


    He thought his torture and humiliation were not enough. His fingers went in again, turned inside her, expanded her, and rubbed her quickest part, and asked, ¡°Have or have not? Somebody else in your heart?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to say?¡±


    He went into the deepest part and touched that point, and Kate opened her mouth, her toes trembling. She predicted something would happen. She lifted her body and tiptoed, breathing heavily, and said in disconnected sybles, ¡°No¡­no one else.¡±


    Then she heard the sound of unzipping.


    The beast was out, bouncing and leaping fiercely. It hit on her nerves and shocked her.


    Without suspense, the bloodshot beast advanced into the wet backnd by the leading of its master. When it filled her up, Kate felt relieved. She had been on tenterhooks, and after struggling for so long, Tristan got what he wanted.


    However, for Tristan, it was just a beginning.


    And she soon had a new round of fear, nervousness, rage, and shame.


    The door was bumped with thuds. A person with little experience could guess what was happening inside if he walked past the door. Kate had to use her own body to alleviate the bumps on the door. In this way, she made her presence felt more thoroughly during the assault.


    Tristan still had not gotten his satisfaction after a few dozen attacks. He lifted her right leg and let them cling to his waist so that he could get deeper into her and had more abrasion on her skin.


    Kate held her breath when there were footsteps outside again. This time there was talking too. And the voices of the two people sounded familiar.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t given up?¡±


    ¡°So do you.¡±


    ¡°I talked with that girl just now. It is pretty special¡­¡±


    The heels seemed to stop. The two people inside held their breath. And they heard thedy said with sarcasm, ¡°So you are tempted by her too? In what way is she special?¡±


    The man said slowly, ¡°Special¡­in being too na?ve.¡±

 Chapter 93: Hold Tight

    Tristan almostughed out loud. Kate was speechless.


    The moment of holding back his orgasm made him miserable, and he used all his strength in his lower body and pushed into the deepest point and stayed there still, or perhaps with a slight trembling, as if he used the tip of his penis, with all his vitality, to kiss her tender womb.


    The torturing, shameful, and surprisingly pleasant feeling made Kate almost cry out. She pinched his waist with her fingers.


    Suddenly a ttering sound scared both of them. Her heels dropped to the floor.


    Kate¡¯s first reaction was that the people outside would hear it.


    It was heard, and the female asked, ¡°What is that sound?¡±


    The man said, ¡°It is another person¡¯s house. It has nothing to do with us. Let¡¯s get back downstairs.¡±


    ¡°I am not going. I have nothing to talk to them about.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fortunately, the footsteps fade away, and it went quiet outside.


    Kate felt she had been to hell for once.


    Tristan thought she might be tired standing on one foot only. So he held her upper thigh and took off her left shoe. Kate stood barefoot on the ground. Because of the height difference between them, she still felt ufortable. She had to tiptoe. She grabbed his clothes to help support herself.


    He held her right hand and put it on her belly, let her feel it for herself. There was something moving inside, a bulgeing up and down. It was his penis inside. Then he dered, ¡°You can have me in your body and your mind only.¡±


    His voice was low and oppressive.


    These embedding and wrapping rtions between them amazed Kate. At the same time, these intimate actions made her feel shame too.


    He pulled her right hand and put it back to the back of his waist. The muscle there was moving fast, in the same rhythm as the thing that was inside her body.


    There was sweat on his skin. Her fingers trembled, and she wanted to move them away, but he fixed them in ce.


    Kate thought how wicked this man was.


    He wanted her to feel the difference of each movement sufficiently so that even if she left in the future, she could not erase these memories from her mind. And this ridiculous and shameful period of her life would be with her all her life.


    Tristan focused on his movement and said nothing. His movement was not fierce and violent anymore but gentle and steady, allowing their pubis areas to have full contact and giving time for them to feel, to expect, to contract, and to reflect.


    She forgot the time and ce and even who she was. Nothing was important in this world. All that was the matter was to feel the contact of skin between her and him.


    In the end, Kate broke the silence; she said, ¡°It is getting sore¡­¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°My foot.¡±


    He put both her arms around his neck and ordered, ¡°Hold tight.¡±


    Then he put his hand on her right knee nest and held her up. She was scared when her body was lifted in the air. She had to clench her hands and hang her body on him. The first time she was put in this position, shecked security and turned stiff.


    The ce where she wrapped him shrank and mped on him. He shivered and got excited and bumped her several times, and the pleasant feeling was freed and exploded.


    Something wet and hot spread inside her, and Kate trembled; she could not react.


    When she realized what happened, she was shocked. As she moved, she felt liquid flow in the ce where they were connected. The man held her tightly and whispered by her ear while panting, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Tristan rested her head on his shoulder and supported her with both hands on her butt as if he was carrying a baby. And then he bent his head against the door and felt the aftershock of the climax.


    To prevent herself from falling down, Kate¡¯s feet behind the man¡¯s back had clung together. She was confined in the tight space between the man¡¯s body and the door. She was surrounded by his breath and scent. Her wild beating heart calmed down gradually.


    After some time, she felt the breath he blew on her neck seemed to carry some satisfaction. She protested, ¡°Itchy.¡±


    ¡°Which part?¡±


    ¡°Everywhere.¡±


    She felt that her reply might be wrong because heughed. He said, ¡°I have a handkerchief in my left pocket. Help me take it out.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She reached her hand for it but fumbled for a long time. All she could feel was his strong leg muscle. Tristan waited for quite a moment and then said, ¡°Fumbling enough? Which one is left?¡±

 Chapter 94: She Is A Kid Herself

    Jimmy got a call.


    The person he went to see was the man Uncle Jack mentioned in his notes.


    He had been working as a temporary worker in LA Customs and was the informer for Uncle Jack. After Uncle Jack died, he disappeared. Jimmy spent a lot of time tracking him and found he changed his name and became a fisherman.


    He did not reply to any of his questions, but Jimmy still could see his struggle under the silence. He urged him with the facts and appealed to his emotions, but it seemed this was in vain.


    But now, it seems to be working.


    However, as he was about to meet him, the chief assigned Jimmy an urgent task. So he had to tell him to meet one dayter.


    The next day when he got there, he heard someone crying inside the house. A guy who walked out of the house told Jimmy the owner of it drowned in the sea yesterday when he went fishing after drinking.


    As he stepped into the yard, he found a middle-aged woman sitting on the bench on the porch. She had a wrung handkerchief in her hand. Her eyes were red, and her hair was messy.


    She was cursing from time to time, ¡°Bastard, all you know how to do is drink. Now you are happy. You drank yourself to death. Why don¡¯t you take us with you? What should we do without you?¡±


    A teenager was leaning by the door in silence. He looked out at the yard nkly when Jimmy came in. ¡°My father had quit drinking.¡± He muttered.


    Jimmy found his blood running fast in his veins. He took out all the money in his wallet and put it in a tool kit on the porch, and left.


    When he drove out of the vige, he pulled over on the road suddenly. He punched the steering wheel. The horn echoed in the country road.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    He had killed him.


    All he wanted was to find out the truth and get justice for Uncle Jack, but now he had gotten another man killed while the murderer was atrge.


    He had be an aplice of the murderer.


    While Jimmy was struggling with guilt and rage for getting an innocent man killed, Kate was also struggling with her issues.


    The cold war she started and continued for weeks was interrupted by the ridiculous event at the birthday party. To continue looked ridiculous even to her, but she was unwilling to give up.


    The term of three years was not over, and the fish god had not made her wishe true yet. So though her heart was in contradiction, she had to continue her life there and work harder in school.


    One more month passed.


    Not caring what happened outside, Kate still heard that the alley had been cleaned up. Some shops had been removed, and business there had be prosperous again.


    Her ssmates also discussed who had been arrested, among whom were notorious gangsters and prominent politicians.


    Tristan was still busy every day and looked at ease. She thought that he had nothing to do with those people and felt relieved.


    Over the weekend, Tristan was going on a trip to Arizona. He bought tickets for her too.


    He had a strong argument about this, ¡°Travelling is more important than reading books. One gains insight in seeing new ces. I will take you to Europeter when I am less busy.¡±


    The night before they went on the trip, Kate switched the TV channels and happened to see a familiar face. It was news about LA police in the action of cracking down on gangsters. Prizes were awarded to some policemen who did an excellent job in action.


    Jimmy was outstanding among the row of policemen. The mayor was giving the medals to them personally. Kate got excited and felt happy for him. But when the camera caught his face, she found he was calm and even seemed expressionless.


    Wasn¡¯t he happy about it? Why was he not happy?


    She recalled what he looked like when heughed heartily. It was like a century ago.


    Tristan¡¯s trip to Arizona was for personal issues-to attend the opening ceremony of a primary school that he built for charity. So only Tristan, his secretary, Ed, and Kate went together.


    The school was in the bd, where the economy was not so good. In the isted remote area, the car was driving on rugged and winding mountain roads. Kate got a little sick from the jolting, but the scenery was like an alien, and she could not take her eyes off the window.


    When they got to the new school, the headmaster and the faculty weed them. They took them to see the ssrooms and dormitory. Tristan asked some questions about the quality of the construction.


    He hadmissioned apany to supervise the construction, and the result seemed satisfactory. He didn¡¯t give a speech at the ceremony and just took some pictures with the students.


    It was the first day of school, and some students didn¡¯t have ss. They stayed in the school library reading books. Some were ying in the yground.


    Tristan went to y football with a few little kids. He didn¡¯t look like a sessful businessman at this time. Instead, one might take him as a coach or parent.


    The headmaster and teachers went to attend to their own jobs, and soon Tristan and Ed were left alone smoking at the yground. Kate walked past them and heard part of their conversation.


    ¡°If Julia was still alive, probably their kid would be this age.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t reply, but she could hear him sigh.


    The sighed fell on her heart.


    When she got to the library, a kid asked her which state she was from. She heard somebody speaking to her, but her mind was elsewhere. The kid asked her several times before she could draw back her attention.


    And he rarely smoked.


    After they finished the cigarette, they went to the library to look for Kate. When they saw Kate was surrounded by a group of kids asking her questions, Tristan couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    Ed said, ¡°Why not have a child yourselves? Probably her genes are not smart, but the kid might take after you.¡±


    Tristan said, ¡°She is a kid herself.¡±

 Chapter 95: Can You Find Justice For My Dad?

    The quiet ce became lively because of the new school. And in LA, the city also had a new start because the gangs that had dominated the city for over a decade had been removed.


    The most powerful gang, Devil¡¯s Herd, who got involved in drug trafficking, had been cracked down. The head of the gang, Dan Gilbert, was arrested. Most of his men and partners in drugworks were also arrested. The remaining people atrge were listed as the national most wanted with bounty.


    The luxury and debauchery in the nightclubs had been suspended for rectification. Some recreation centers in the red-light district had also been shut down.


    The business in the streets started to flourish after being freed from the burden of protection fees extorted by the gangs for years.


    It was like the haze hanging over the city for a long time finally dissipated with the wind blowing from the sea, and the people who suffered from it felt relieved and cheered.


    However, the most cheerful people were the persons who made the greatest effort in this action. One evening in a restaurant, Jimmy and his teammates were celebrating the sess of the action.


    There was a rumor that because of the excellent performance of the team, their captain would be promoted to a higher position. Hence the position of captain would have to be filled up by someone from the team.


    Without a rival, Jimmy would be the best choice for that position. Somebody had already started to call him to captain during the dinner.


    ire had toasted to the team members one by one. When she came to Jimmy, she was a little drunk. She said to Jimmy, ¡°Thanks for taking care of me all the time, Brother. I will work harder.¡±


    Bill teased her, ¡°Come on, ire. You haven¡¯t toasted me yet.¡±


    ire and Bill always bickered in the office. ire picked a piece of ox meat with bone with a fork and flung it to the face of Bill, and said, ¡°Come, Bill. Take the bone.¡±


    Everyone burst intoughter.


    The group of men started to tell some dirty jokes after drinking some wine. One made fun of Bill¡¯s lousy shooting, ¡°Bill, you need practice shooting. As a man, shooting in the wrong ce would bring you trouble.¡±


    ire could not participate in this kind of conversation, so she went out to get some fresh air. She found there was a person sitting on the step smoking. He seemed a little sad sitting there alone.


    ire walked over and sat down by him. ¡°They are telling dirty jokes now?¡± Jimmy knew them very well.


    ¡°Yes. Boss.¡±


    ¡°You picked this line of work. You have to get used to that.¡±


    ¡°You are not like them.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± And then he thought of another person and her innocent bright eyes.


    After some silence, ire reminded him, ¡°You should call your aunty and uncle. They must be worried about you.¡±


    Jimmy nodded and said he would call after he went back. After a second thought, he extinguished the cigarette and took out the phone.


    As he was going to dial, the phone rang. A strange number. He answered it. It was silent on the other side for a moment, and then a teenager¡¯s voice asked, ¡°Are you, Sergeant York?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is Jimmy York. Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Can you find justice for my dad?¡±


    Jimmy was startled. He thought of the silent teenager on the porch of Carter¡¯s house. He said with determination, ¡°I will try my best for your dad and for my uncle.¡±


    Then he heard the teenager say in a low voice, ¡°The thing you want, I can give you.¡±


    Two hourster, Jimmy drove a detour in the city before he got home. He got upstairs hastily and locked the door after he got in, pulled close the curtains. Then he took out a package in a ck stic bag.


    He sat down at the desk, turned on the table light, took a deep breath, and started to unpack the package.


    The boy was young, but he had a sophisticated mind. Probably the night he lost his parents made him grow up all of a sudden. He said on the phone that the day Jimmy went to see his father, he came back home after school and overheard their talking.


    After Jimmy was gone, his father fell into silence and meditation. He observed his father secretly.


    The next day, he went to school, and his father died. He had seen where his father hid the thing. So after a few days of pondering, he made up his mind.


    To avoid the same fate as his father, he hid the thing in the pond of a park. That was why Jimmy made a detour to the park and went back home to get rid of anyone who might tail him.


    Layer afteryer of protection, thest package was a rusty tin box that was used to hold biscuits.


    Jimmy opened the box. There was a stack of bills inside. The ink on the paper faded a little, but one could still clearly see the contents, cargo, quantity, and consignee.


    And some pictures whose corners had turned yellow. Among them, one showed a full crate of guns.


    Thest thing was a letter. The paper was white, and the ink was new¡­


    Jimmy read it silently and carefully, word by word from beginning to the end, and he was petrified.


    It was shocking!


    Even though he had suspected it earlier, he was still shocked by the facts put down in ck and white and the pictures.


    After he didn¡¯t know how long, he moved and raised his hand to his mouth. He could not stop the sobbing from his nose and the tears from his eyes.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    For this evidence, his uncle had lost his life, and the honest man had lost three fingers.


    And he lost his life eventually.


    Now, after many twists and turns, the evidence came to Jimmy¡¯s hand. He felt a fire rising from his heart that burned more and more vigorously. His hand, which held the corner of the letter, trembled and then clenched with all his strength until it turned pale.

 Chapter 96: I Have Confessed Everything I Did

    It was just dawn, and Jimmy was headed to prison to see the murderer who killed Henry Texton.


    The guy was deep in sleep and was very angry for being woken up for interrogation. He leaned on the chair and tilted his head, yawning and grumbling, ¡°Can¡¯t get enough of it? The day has not broken yet. I need to sleep.¡±


    Jimmy sat at the desk and looked at him silently for a while and said calmly, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell the truth thoroughlyst time.¡±


    That hooligan raised his eyebrows, ¡°I have confessed everything I did.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Jimmy smiled and said lightly, ¡°Really. Did you confess something you didn¡¯t do?¡±


    The man was taken aback.


    Jimmy was taken aback too. He just yed a trick, and it worked.


    After a few rounds of interrogation, the hooligan finally admitted that he was paid two hundred thousand dors to be a scapegoat. If he didn¡¯t do it, he would lose his life.


    ¡°Who paid you?¡± Jimmy asked seriously.


    The hooligan turned his face aside and said sadly, ¡°If I say it, it will not be just my life. It will be the four lives of my whole family.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You don¡¯t have to say it.¡± Jimmy wrote a name on a paper and walked close to him, ¡°Is it this person?¡±


    The hooligan saw what was on the paper, turned stiff, but then he moved his eyes away in panic and shook his head.


    Jimmy smiled, put the paper back to his file, and ended the interrogation.


    In the morning, the scenery in front of her amazed Kate.


    Among the jagged rocks of grotesque shapes, flourishing water flew down to the emerald pond tens of meters below. The water crashed into the pond and produced billions of white pearls jumping in the air. This was the Fossil Cliff waterfall. It is like heaven on the earth.


    Kate looked at the swooping water rushing down to the pond. Her heart was thrilled at its might and majesty. She felt that she was so close to the creator of nature. The spectacle of nature brought peace to her mind, and the strife and trouble of daily life disappeared for this moment.


    The person beside her asked in her ear, ¡°Do you like the surprise?¡±


    Kate turned to look at him and nodded hard, said out loud, ¡°Yes, very much!¡±


    To express her delight, she jumped, and the ponytail behind her head was dyed a golden color. She had never been so happy, so free of worry.


    The smiling eyes and eyebrows, the curving up lips, and the dimples all showing she was cheerful and carefree. Tristan felt her face was brighter than the sunshine. When the wind blew from the mountain and spread the water, she would raise her face to feel the moisture. Her face and hair were soon wet in the water spray, but sheughed and bounced.


    They got down the side of the pond. Some people were swimming in the pond. And some young men jumped from the cliff to the pond from time to time. Tristan held Kate¡¯s shoulders, and they stood there watching.


    ¡°Tristan,¡± It was the first time she had called his name, and her voice was small, but he heard it. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He put his chin on the top of her head and said, ¡°I will take you to see all the beautiful sceneries in the world.¡±


    He looked at her beautiful face, with dew on her eyshes and the smile he had not seen on her face since he had known her. He added, ¡°You are the best scenery I have ever seen.¡±


    After 2 pm, Jimmy got the information from an rm center that somebody said the number two leader of Devil¡¯s Herd was seen in a small hotel downtown. This was a heavyweight criminal, the most wanted person still atrge. He informed his team, who were outside, to nk the hotel from all sides and catch him in it.


    Jimmy took the car key from the table and ran out. ire followed and said, ¡°I will go with you.¡±


    He replied without turning back, ¡°No. It will be too dangerous today. They all have weapons.¡±


    ire put her chin up and said, ¡°I am not scared. I want to fight with you.¡±


    Jimmy frowned and said, ¡°Nonsense.¡± But he let her get in the car.


    After buckling up in the front seat, ire touched the gun in her waist and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My shooting is much better than Bill.¡±


    They just drove for a while; Jimmy¡¯s phone rang again. The hotel owner said the guys were going to check out. Jimmy raised his eyebrows and asked ire to inform the teammates. He sped up the car and prayed they would not let the assholes escape this time.

 Chapter 97: Jimmy鈥檚 Accident

    They drove at full speed all the way. When they got to the hotel, Jimmy had the foresight to go to the hotel¡¯s back. From a distance, he saw five or six people went out from the back door. After looking around, they got into a dirty van parked near the door one by one.


    Jimmy had studied their pictures earlier. He could identify the heads of the group. The van started and hit the road.


    He tailed it.


    After driving for some time, the persons in the van seemed to detect being followed and sped up suddenly. There were too many crosses in this area. Once you lost track of them, it would be near impossible to find them again.


    Since they were exposed, Jimmy sped up too. And ire called for urgent backup.


    The two cars were driving crazily in theplicatedwork of old town alleys. The front car turned right and frequently left in the intersections, trying to get rid of the car behind them. Jimmy concentrated and followed closely.


    ire had got the confirmation that the support was on the way and would arrive in a few minutes.


    As they were a little relieved at the news, ire cried out in rm. A truck rushed to them from the side out of nowhere.


    Jimmy was surprised by the truck and wanted to turn to the right, but to find there was a kindergarten there. The fence of the yard was just half a meter high, and a teacher was leading a ss of kids ying games in the yard.


    He could not risk the car crashing into the yard, so he ground his teeth and rushed forward just with a gap of a thread between his SUV and the truck. As he was just going to feel rxed to escape the collision with the truck, Jimmy¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    It was a cross behind the truck, and a container truck that was much higher than the previous rushed to his face. As he had already sped up when he tried to avoid the previous truck, there wasn¡¯t enough time to stop the car.


    Before he could react, he heard the great din of crashing.


    At that moment, the sound of bumping, screams of women, cracking of bones all crashed to his ear, and he tasted blood in his mouth. Before he felt pain, he passed out.


    When ire woke up from extreme dizziness, she opened her eyes and was shocked by the scene.


    The head of the car was still frizzling and gave out choking smoke. The windshield was broken into a thick spider¡¯s web and blurred with ck smoke stains and red spots. Were they blood?Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    A stream of blood was winding down ire¡¯s forehead, but she didn¡¯t realize it. She turned aside, and then she held her breath.


    Jimmy was leaning on the back of the seat. The door on his left side was deformed and the metal frame wrapped around him. The deformed steering wheel pressed against his chest. His face was white, and his eyes were closed. Blood was flowing from his mouth.


    ire cried out, ¡°Jimmy!¡± Tears surged to her eyes.


    Nobody replied to her. It was dead silence. She heard nothing. She was in a panic and called, ¡°Help¡­¡± and reached her hand to the door on her side and wanted to get out for help.


    It was just a little better on her side. The car bumped into a light pole, and the door caved in and pressed on her leg. She noticed the ck of her hand was bloody, and the fingers hurt. The bone should be broken.


    She could not care for these wounds. She tried hard to push the door open, and she felt her left hand was grabbed. She turned back and saw Jimmy open his eyelid a little and look straight ahead. His bloody lips were moving slightly.


    ire understood immediately and moved her ear to his lips, trying to hear what he was saying. Tears flow out from her eyes like from a spring.


    She heard just a few words and felt a heavy burden fall on her shoulders, and her heart stopped beating. She turned to see him slowly and saw Jimmy¡¯s head fall down on her shoulder, and her left hand was warm.


    She looked down at her hand and saw it was covered with blood. His blood. It was flowing from his mouth and dripping on her hand.


    And on his chest and stomach, his clothes were soaked in blood, and the color had turned dark.


    ire didn¡¯t dare to check his breath or move her own body for fear of disturbing him and making the bleeding faster. She said in a low voice, ¡°Jimmy, don¡¯t sleep. Please. I will call somebody¡­¡±


    The cell phone was nowhere to be found.


    She searched for it with great effort while trying to keep her body still. As she was desperate because the time was fleeting away, she heard police sirens sounding from a distance. She cried out.

 Chapter 98: Did He Die In A Car Crash?

    On the way back to Phoenix, Kate felt tired and fell asleep. When she woke up, she found herself leaning on Tristan¡¯s shoulder. She smelt a light scent on him. It was the fragrance of wood from the soap he used.


    She sat up straight and looked out the window of the bus. It was endless forests and mountains of peculiar shapes. The magical trip of three days was going to be over, and she was unwilling to leave.


    A question that had been lingering in her heart slipped out of her mouth ¡°Did you¡­¡±


    Tristan turned to see her with tenderness.


    His eyes made her lose courage, but since she had already opened her mouth, she decided to say it, ¡°always take her out?¡±


    He understood who she referred to immediately and turned his head a little way down and shook his head.


    ¡°Life wasn¡¯t as easy as it is now. Now I am still busy, but that is for business development. I was busy surviving then. Besides, I didn¡¯t have the mood¡­¡±


    ¡°So she always waited for you at home?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Tristan thought about it and added, ¡°She had something to upy her too. She was teaching ballet in a dance school for children.¡±


    ¡°She liked children?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Tristan was puzzled by the question but soon nodded, ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t ask again, and Tristan stayed silent.


    They were too young. They had just been married, and at least he didn¡¯t think of that issue. As a man in histe twenties, he focused on his career.


    Besides, he had some burden in his mind that was heavier than the ordinary people. She was understanding and considerate. She never mentioned having a child.


    Now that he thought about it, she should have longed for having a child; otherwise, she would not put away her major of business management and went to teach children dancing.


    And after she saw a report on some remote area of Arizona on TV, she said to him that the kids there were pitiful and suggested he build a school for charity.


    He replied in a world-wise way that it was okay to donate the money, but he was afraid the money could not go to the children there. She seemed to realize that it was still too hard for him to make money, and she never mentioned this again.


    Until three years after she passed away, he saw some pictures of the children there. Tristan had decided to fulfill her wish.


    Tristan drew back his attention from his thoughts. It was not necessary to tell the story to Kate. He just wanted her to be happying out to see the sights. This subject was too heavy, and she might not understand.


    Besides, what she might think after hearing this?


    However, she didn¡¯t ask about this before. Did it mean that she started to care about him as she asked today? The idea brought ripples to his heart.


    They were detained in Phoenix because of bad weather. When they got back to LA, it was the fifth day. Kate missed quite a lot of sses and had to study hard to make up for them.


    After a few days, she looked in the mirror and found she had lost some weight. Insufficient sleep, fatigue, weakness, all of the symptoms Tristan warned her of hade together.


    After she finally caught up with the schoolwork, Kate had a good sleep over the weekend. Refreshed after the sleep, she thought of her brother, whom she had not contacted for many days.


    She called him, and Max said in a sorrowful voice, ¡°Kate, will you go to Jimmy¡¯s memorial service tomorrow?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t trust her ears, ¡°What service?¡±


    Max was surprised, ¡°You didn¡¯t know? The gangs took revenge, and Jimmy had an ident in action. The injury was too serious, and he didn¡¯t survive in the rescue¡­¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t remember what she said, or she didn¡¯t say anything at all. All she could hear was the beep of the phone, and her head was only filled with that beep sound.


    She had tears all over her face. Was Jimmy dead? How could it be possible? Did he die in a car crash?


    She had just left for a few days, and she saw him on TV the night before she went.


    He was awarded a prize. Though he didn¡¯t look d to receive it, he was alive and standing there¡­


    After a long time, she muttered, ¡°It can¡¯t be true¡­¡±

 Chapter 99: You Are In Love With Him?

    Kate washed her face with cold water, but the swelling on her eyes was still obvious. When she dressed up and got downstairs, she happened to see Tristan walk out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. He was still wearing his casual home clothes.


    She was startled. She thought he had gone out early this morning.


    ¡°Going out?¡± He asked casually.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She replied vaguely. After she walked a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned to him. Her voice turned husky, ¡°Jimmy is dead.¡±


    Tristan raised his eyes to look at her and waited.


    Kate asked with difficulty, ¡°Did you do it?¡±


    He looked straight into her eyes and asked, ¡°Why would I kill him?¡±


    ¡°Because he is investigating you.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± he replied slowly, ¡°Are you reminding me that this is part of your contribution?¡±


    Kate paused and regained the initiative, ¡°You just need to say yes or no.¡±


    Tristan looked down at his coffee and stirred it with a small spoon. He said in such a voice that she could not tell his mood, ¡°I have taught you for so long to make yourself smarter so that you could turn against me whenever somethinges up?¡±


    He raised his eyes to see her again and smiled bitterly, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, why bother to ask me?¡±


    Kate was holding her breath, preparing to get an answer that she could not ept. His words made her choke in her throat. She paused, gave up questioning, and turned to the door.


    He asked behind her, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply. He replied to her, ¡°Today, there will be a memorial service for that cop. Are you going to attend it?¡±


    Kate asked, ¡°How do you know there will be a memorial service today?¡±


    ¡°Everyone who reads the newspaper knows.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t say anything and went straight to the shoe cab to change her shoes. Then she turned the doorknob but could not open it after she twisted it a few times. She turned back in puzzlement, ¡°You locked the door?¡±


    The door had a password, but she had never used it.


    Tristan didn¡¯t deny or admit it. Kate got angry, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Tristan put down his coffee and walked to her slowly. He lifted her chin with his fingers, ¡°What do I mean, you think? My woman runs to another man¡¯s memorial service and cries. I cannot let you lose my face like that.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t cry,¡± Kate exined.


    ¡°Can you believe that yourself?¡± His eyes fell on her swollen eyelids, and he said lightly, ¡°I cannot believe it.¡±


    Seeing her silence and the bitterness in her eyes, something shining in her eyes, his voice turned cold, ¡°You are in love with him?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t make a sound.


    His eyes turned hazy. ¡°In this case, I could never let you go.¡±


    Kate cleared her throat and said, ¡°I won¡¯t cry. I promise you I won¡¯t cry. Please let me go, please. I have to see him for thest time.¡±


    Things got worse when she said please. He changed his face, and his fingers on her chin pressed harder as if going to break her bone, ¡°You pleaded me?¡±


    Tristan sneered, ¡°It is the first time you pleaded with me since I knew you for so long. Did you plead me for another man, to see him for thest time? Kate, is it because I am too kind to you that you think I have no temper? Or you are spoiled by me, and you think I would listen to you on everything?¡±


    Kate was speechless at his questioning.


    He put his hand down and scrutinized her. Her face was thin, cheeks were pale, and eyes were swollen, totally different from the delighted person bouncing in front of the waterfalls days ago. He was shocked in his heart, but he didn¡¯t show it. His voice was freezing, ¡°You stay home for a few days. You are not allowed to go anywhere.¡±


    And he turned and left.


    ¡°You cannot do that!¡± Kate shouted behind him.


    He turned back and said coldly, ¡°The term of three years is not over yet. You are mine. I can do whatever I want.¡±


    Looking at his straight back, picking up the steps upstairs, and disappearing to the room, sorrow surged up to her heart, apanied by rage and disappointment in herself. She turned to the door and pounded on it. The door was still, and the thuds seemed to be mocking her feebleness.


    She punched less than a dozen times before copsing on the floor. She sat there nkly and then cried silently.


    It was summer, but she felt the coldness of autumn or winter.


    Tristan got the call from Laura while he was in a meeting. Laura said worriedly that Kate still would not eat and what should be done. He said in an undisturbed tone to let her go hungry.


    After he hung up the phone, he sighed in his heart. He felt his staff was looking at him secretly. He looked at him coldly, and that guy sat straight and looked away. He ordered the interrupted meeting to go on.


    After getting back to his office, Tristan threw the file to the desk and sank into the couch. Kate was determined. She went on a hunger strike but also quit her studying,pletely abandoning herself.


    Tristan finished the job that needed urgent attendance and went home early. When he got upstairs, he saw Laura¡¯s apprehensive face. The fat cat was squatting outside the door spiritless.


    The door was closed. He got the key from Laura¡¯s hand and opened it. The room was dark. He switched the light and saw Kate lying on the bed with wrinkled pajamas, staring at the ceiling nkly.


    She had been on hunger strike for three days, and her cheeks were hollow and lips dried.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Tristan stood by the bed and looked at her for a few minutes, and then said, ¡°A person can only survive for four days without food or water. Should I call your brother toe to prepare for your funeral?¡±


    Kate moved her eyeballs a little and showed no reaction.


    Tristan took a deep breath and picked her up. He was shocked by her weight. She was not heavy before and now was shockingly light.


    He carried Kate to the dining hall and put her on the chair. Laura had brought food that was kept warm.


    Tristan pushed the soup bowl to her, but she made no reaction.


    He took it up, touched the bowl to estimate the temperature, and then got a spoonful and sent it to her mouth. She jerked her face away.


    He put down the bowl, pinched her cheeks and made her open her mouth, feeding the soup to her mouth. After a few spoonfuls, he simply took up the bowl and fed her. Kate was forced to swallow a big mouthful, and then she coughed, and some soup flew out.


    Tristan ignored it and continued to feed her with the bowl.

 Chapter 100: We Are Going To Have A Baby

    Kate choked and started to shed tears. Tristan patted her on the back and fed her again. When the soup was finished, Tristan took up a napkin and wiped her mouth with care.


    Kate sat there quietly for a while and then started to hup. She stood up suddenly and rushed to the bathroom barefooted. As soon as she got in, she bent down on the toilet and started to throw up. What she drank was all thrown out, and sour gastric juice also came out, and it seemed everything inside her body had been dug up.


    Tristan stood at the door, looking at her expressionlessly. Then he got a cup of water and helped her up to gargle. Then he led her to the dinner table again. But Kate wanted to throw up as soon as she smelled food.


    She was too feeble to speak. She just shook her head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like them?¡± Tristan changed to a tone to negotiate, ¡°What do you want to eat? Just tell Laura to cook.¡±


    Kate just shook her head and said, ¡°I cannot eat anything.¡±


    She had fought and protested before but had never quit eating. He had appreciated the life instinct like animals on her.


    Tristan was depressed to think that this man was so important in Kate¡¯s heart. Was she going to starve herself to death so that she could go to hell with him?


    Thought of this, he got upset and changed his tone, ¡°So, you prefer an infusion?¡±


    Before he finished his words, he saw her fall to the side. Luckily he reacted quickly to catch her. She leaned softly on his arms with closed eyes. Kate¡¯s extreme feebleness made Tristan¡¯s heartache and conjured up some fear as well. He cried, ¡°Kate, Kate¡­¡±


    Kate was so tired.


    She soon fell asleep. She dreamed of all kinds of scenes: her hometown, various familiar faces, adults quarreling, and kids crying. She knew she was dreaming in her dream. And then she was telling herself that it was ominous to dream of kids.


    As she realized, she woke up.


    Opening her eyes, she saw Tristan sitting by the bed. Meeting his blood-shot eyes, her heart softened. His eyes showed some joy, and he asked softly, ¡°Are you thirsty?¡±


    Kate closed her eyes again. He understood and took the cup from her bedside stand. Kate saw the bear-shaped cup, and the softest part of her heart was touched. She drank the water from the cup in his hand obediently andid back.


    When her head touched the pillow, she recalled what had happened earlier; his toughness and indifference. Her heart feel cold again.


    Tristan stroked her face gently and lovingly and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t be so willful. You are going to be a mother.¡±


    Kate closed her eyes for a while and then opened them again, ¡°What did you say?¡± Her voice was still husky and full of suspicion.


    He was extremely tender, but he uttered it distinctly, ¡°We are going to have a baby. It has been six weeks now.¡±


    The words crashed on her ears like a bomb.


    She opened her mouth but could not make a sound. Her hand wanted to move, but Tristan stopped it. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Be careful of the needle.¡±


    Kate suddenly realized she was attached to an IV drip. A fine stic pipe connected to a bag, which hung at the head of the bed.


    Tristan exined, ¡°You are weak after starving for so many days. Besides, you passed out because of your body¡¯s reaction to pregnancy. So this IV is necessary.¡±


    Kate interrupted him, ¡°Do you want me to deliver this baby?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He was surprised and retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t you want it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    She replied without thinking. The hand that held her squeezed, and she could feel his rage transmitting to her. However, Tristan controlled himself and said, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It will hear you.¡±


    Kate found his superstitious exnationpletely ridiculous. She wanted to sneer, but she just felt sad. She used all her remained strength and said word by word, ¡°Look at me clearly. Who am I?¡±


    Tristan reacted quickly and changed to his usual calm and indifferent tone, ¡°Of course I know who you are. I am not blind.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    In a while, he adjusted his mood and softened his tone, ¡°Stop thinking about it. Get some good rest. I have a business to attend to. I will get back to youter.¡±


    And then he patted her hand, with the infusion needle still attached, and left the room.


    A young nurse came in soon after Tristan left. She checked the needle and the speed of the drip. And then the nurse retreated to the couch and waited professionally.


    The room went quiet again.


    Kate was exhausted in her heart. Why were all her nightmares happening consecutively?


    With her infusionpleted for today, Kate took an antiemetic and ate some soup and porridge. She gained some strength, and herplexion turned more colorful.


    As soon as Kate felt better, she slid down the bed, went to her study, and picked up the books she had left for many days.


    The next day, Tristan dragged her out. She didn¡¯t know where they were going, but she didn¡¯t ask.


    The car drove into an apartment building. They went upstairs, and Tristan opened the door. Kate followed him in. It was a two-story apartment. All the furniture there was covered in white cloth.


    ¡°This was where we lived.¡±


    Tristan went to the corner of the room, lifted the white cloth, and exposed a shelf with manypartments. In eachpartment, there were various arts and crafts. Then he lifted the clothes on the other furniture, and a very lively home was revealed.


    Underneath the dusty cloth, it was very cozy and stylish, totally different from the vi and his apartment. And what attracted Kate¡¯s attention were two big pictures of a woman on the wall.


    She was really beautiful. The kind of beauty that made Kate take a deep breath. From the photographer¡¯s angle, she was round-faced, with affectionate eyes and long fluffy hair, like a movie star of the 1990s.


    The other one was a ck and white picture in which she was dancing ballet. Her body was shaped perfectly. She raised her head and looked upward, stretching her elegant neck like a swan.


    Tristan¡¯s voice sounded behind her, ¡°You can see for yourself. She and you are so different.¡±

 Chapter 101: Don鈥檛 You Feel Too Heavy To Carry It?

    Tristan held Kate¡¯s hand as they went to look around each room.


    He told her, ¡°She was born into a wealthy family. Her parents¡¯ only daughter. She grew up with a very good education and knew all kinds of arts. The best she could do was dance. She was a little sentimental, a perfectionist.¡±


    They walked to the bedroom. Kate resisted it in her heart, but when they entered, she found it clean, tidy, quiet, and soothing. Tristan picked up a cushion from a recliner and showed her, ¡°She was interested in this. For a period of time, she was almost obsessed with it.¡±


    Cross-stitch. Kate looked at it. Two cute bears on the cushion. She touched the delicate stitches with her fingers. Her roommate used to do this. She thought it was a waste of time.


    Tristan¡¯s former wife was different from Kate¡¯s from this point. She seemed to see a woman doing a cross-stitch on a dark night. Time passed with each stitch.


    They got back to the living room on the lower floor. Tristan stood at the French window with his back to Kate.


    He recalled in a low voice, ¡°After she was gone, I lived here for three years. I was immersed in grief and guilt. Andter, I knew I could not live in the past anymore, and that surely was not what she would have wished for.


    ¡°I didn¡¯tpare you to her because everyone is unique. It is nonsense that I take you as her substitute. That is not fair for you or respectful to her.¡±


    Tristan turned and looked at Kate candidly, ¡°She will always be in my heart, but she belongs to the past. And you¡­¡± he paused a little, ¡°are what I have now.¡±


    And the future.


    The afternoon sunshine shone through the French window dazzlingly. But even more dazzling were Tristan¡¯s eyes. They looked calm and cool, but Kate felt they were as hot as the sun. She didn¡¯t hear him very clearly, but she felt the words burnt into her heart.


    She was silent for a few seconds, and then she shifted her eyes to the couches and the coffee table. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s cover these up.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    On the way back, it was extremely quiet in the car.


    Tristan had just opened the world he never disyed to outsiders and shared part of his memory that he didn¡¯t n to show; Kate had intruded into a private sector of other people¡¯s lives and knew an important secret of theirs, which brought her some emotional stirrings and more helplessness.


    The car drove to the district of seaside vis. Salty sea wind blew in through the half-opened window and cleared Kate¡¯s head. She said calmly, ¡°Even so, that doesn¡¯t mean I want to deliver the baby for you.¡±


    The car that was going smoothly stopped abruptly, and the wheels gave out the harsh sound ofrge-scale abrasions with the ground.


    Tristan¡¯s hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, and he was looking ahead. Kate could feel his contained emotion.


    Breaking the tense silence, Kate said with a cool tone, ¡°Don¡¯t forget we have an agreement.¡±


    Tristanughed lightly and said calmly, ¡°Okay. Three yearster, you go, and the kid stays.¡±


    Kate had raged in her eyes and turned to him, ¡°You made me sell myself, and now you want me to sell my child?¡±


    Tristan gave her a nce and resumed driving, and then he said unhurriedly, ¡°Either you two stay or the child stays. In any case, I want the child.¡±


    Kate was indignant. Something had felt strange after she woke up after starvation two days ago. She could not figure out what it was. Now she knew it was his sudden change of attitude-because of the child.


    She said with indignation, ¡°I am not a tool for you to produce offspring.¡±


    Tristan was pissed at her line of argument. He repliedzily, ¡°About offspring, you¡¯d better pray it will be a boy, or we¡¯ll have to have one or two more in the next three years.¡±


    Kate liked children. Ever since she remembered, there had been children around her. She saw the children grow up little by little. It was a magical experience. She had imagined one day she would have a child of her own; she would give all her love, the best things in the world, to her child.


    But that was on the premise of marriage.


    Now she was not only a mistress but also pregnant with an illegitimate child. Before she could live with her parents, she could not live with herself. This caused Kate to panic.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    She had made a mistake that led to a series of mistakes. Her life now was like a bucking bronco that was totally out of her control.


    She put her hand to her belly sometimes. It was still t, and she could not believe there was a life there. What does a 6-week child look like? She tried to determine when this error could have urred. It must have been the time at the birthday party, in Mr. Hitchcock¡¯s closet.


    Every time she recalled that encounter, her face blushed, and her ears burned. She would call him a psycho inside.


    After their encounter at the party, Tristan had used a handkerchief to pack the disgusting thing and said they could not leave evidence, totally forgetting about his mysophobia. But the evidence was partially left in her body. She was worried at that time, but he assured her that the doctor had said it was not easy to get pregnant.


    Now she suspected that even that was just part of Tristan¡¯s scheme. A liar!


    He was just in the next room. Ever since knowing she was pregnant, he had changed too. He lingered all the time at home, mostly working in his study, but even his existence still affected Kate seriously.


    In no time, he even trespassed to her ce. Laura mentioned that he did the cleaning himself sometimes, but it was still shocking to see him do it.


    Tristan was wearing light colored home clothes and had a mop in his hands with quite a professional posture. A little follower was running after him wherever he went. He mopped the ce where she sat and said, ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Get Lucy to the other ce. She stains the ce I have already mopped.¡±


    Kate carried up the fat cat and was ordered out of the room. And then she heard him say, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel too heavy to carry it?¡±


    He performed the job with dedication. Not a nook was missed. He squatted to pick up her hair from time to time.


    Kate stood aside and looked at him with contempt. A CEO would not do his job and stayed at home picking hair on the floor. What a freak!

 Chapter 102: Are You Going To Marry Her?

    It was not something reasonable, but looking at his experienced action, it seemed very natural too. The warm sunshine went into the room. He was busy while she was looking on with a cat in her arms. How would an outsider interpret this scene?


    Suddenly, Tristan paused and picked a thing from the table and looked at her, asking seriously, ¡°Where did thise from?¡±


    In his hand was a half-smoked cigarette. ¡°Taken from my study?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply and was ready to fight back.


    ¡°Stop this nonsense.¡± He replied, ¡°No more next time.¡± He threw the cigarette into the dustbin and went on with his mopping.


    Kate expected he would lose his temper, in which case she could vent out her anger too. But he let it pass. It was so depressing.


    At night, Tristan put his hand on her belly again. This had be a daily routine. Sometimes he would move his hand upward and squeeze her for some time to pacify his breathing.


    He was suppressing his desires. The longing for a child of a man in his thirties was so apparent.


    After thinking about it for a day, Kate opened her mouth, ¡°I can deliver the child.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to let me go.¡±


    His hand on her belly moved a little, and he said with a condescending tone, ¡°No negotiation about it. You cannot leave before the 3-year term is over.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the term that I have to deliver a baby in the agreement.¡±


    ¡°No term says that a child cannot be delivered.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He kissed her earlobe and said with a soothing tone, ¡°Stop pondering about it. A student cannot outwit a teacher. Troubling yourself with these unrealistic ideas is bad for the child.¡±


    ¡°And bad for yourself too.¡± He added.


    The next afternoon, guests came to the vi.


    Kate was shocked at the two people standing in front of her.


    Beside Max stood a pretty young girl. It was her younger sister Daisy. Daisy was out-going, vivacious, and coquettish. She ran to hug her, ¡°Sister, I missed you so much!¡±


    After checking her out, she saidughingly, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for over a year, you are prettier.¡±


    ¡°How did youe to LA?¡± Kate was still ufortable with this meeting.


    ¡°I am going to graduate next year. So I took the chance toe to LA to see if I can find a job as an intern.¡±


    Max exined, ¡°Mr. Fox called this morning and said you are in a mood and asked me toe over to see you. Daisy happened to be with me. So Ed took us here.¡±


    Daisy asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, sister?¡±


    Max said, ¡°Is it because of Jimmy?¡±


    ¡°Who is Jimmy?¡±


    Kate winked at Max and said, ¡°I just caught a cold. Come, sit down.¡±


    Laura brought tea and desserts and went back to the kitchen to prepare juice. Daisy touched the fat cat lying on the couch with curiosity, ¡°The cat is so fat. What is its name?¡±


    Kate paused for half a second, ¡°Fatty.¡±


    ¡°Well, a rustic name for a very cute cat.¡±


    Daisy tried to carry it, but it jumped down from the couch and wobbled its way out.


    The three of them started to catch up. Max was apparently preupied. And Kate thought she knew what he was thinking about.


    Daisy was the most talkative one. She came to LA three days ago. She told them her experience of applying for jobs and charming interviewers with her wittynguage. Kate was soon touched by her upbeat attitude and funny stories. She felt rxed.


    Max asked Kate with a low voice when Daisy went to the bathroom, ¡°Did he bully you?¡±


    Kate shook her head.


    Tristan came back early these days. When he stepped into the room, the three stopped their heated conversation at the sight of him. Alert came to Max¡¯s eyes, and Daisy was startled for a moment.


    Tristan said hello to them and went to sit by Kate. His hand put on Kate¡¯s waist naturally. He asked Max and Daisy about their school and how the job hunt was going. The siblings replied to him.


    Laura came to inform them that dinner was ready.


    After they took their seats, Laura poured wine for them, but when she came to Kate, she poured juice. Daisy asked, ¡°Kate, you still don¡¯t drink anything alcoholic?¡±


    Tristan said with ease, ¡°She cannot drink alcohol. It is bad for the child.¡±


    The two were shocked.


    Daisy reacted first with a smile, ¡°Congrattions to you two.¡±


    Tristan epted with thanks.


    It waste, and Tristan asked Laura to prepare two guest rooms for Max and Daisy. Max followed Tristan to his study and asked him with seriousness, ¡°Do you know what it means to a woman to have a baby?¡±


    Tristan raised his eyebrows, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have mercy on her?¡± Max was indignant.


    Tristan palmed his forehead and said, ¡°Is it in the eyes of you all, I either use her or abuse her?¡± And then, after a pause, like speaking to himself, he said, ¡°The child is not only mine but also hers.¡±


    Max was angry, ¡°So what? Are you going to marry her?¡±


    Tristan looked at him immediately. As Max thought he was offended, he smiled silently, ¡°That is business between her and me. I don¡¯t need to promise anything to others.¡±


    Max could not find anything to say back, but he didn¡¯t want to give up.


    Tristan saw through his mind and said slowly, ¡°I do appreciate you looking out for each other as a family. However, if you want to protect your family, you need to have the capability to protect them, instead of trying to appeal to other people¡¯s consciousness, because usually¡­¡± he turned a little sarcastic, ¡°a person who hurt you once could only hurt you again.¡±


    At night, Kate slept on her side and had her back to Tristan. Tristan turned her to lie on her back and said, ¡°Be careful with the child.¡± And he put his hand on her waist habitually. ¡°Feeling better about seeing your family?¡±


    ¡°Is this what you want? To make the whole world know about it?¡± Kate hated his trick. Likest time, when he rescued Max, he dragged him to witness her awkward situation.


    ¡°You are right.¡± He chuckled in a low voice, ¡°My child is not a shame.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

 Chapter 103: You Are Looking For Me?

    On the fiftieth day of her pregnancy, Tristan took Kate to the hospital for a checkup.


    Katey on the bed, and her belly was exposed. She felt the probe of the ultrasound machine moving along her skin, and she held her breath.


    The doctor looked at the monitor and said, ¡°¡­the embryo has the shape of a human now¡­body segments are forming, and you can see the limbs.¡±


    The fetal heart was beating fast, and with the amplifier, it echoed in the confined space of the examination room. The doctor said with a smile, ¡°It is rare to hear the beating of a fetal heart. This shows that the baby¡¯s heart is developing early. It should be a healthy baby.¡±


    Kate felt rxed when she heard the word healthy. It was vague and abstract to her before she saw life in a vivid image on the monitor. Now she could really feel life inside her womb. It was strange to her, but it was warming her heart.


    Tristan had not said a word the whole time. His eyes shifted between the monitor and her belly. She could feel that he was stirred.


    After the examination, he asked for two photos of the baby. One he put in his wallet, and the other was Kate¡¯s purse.


    His solemn actions seemed funny to Kate, but it also made Kate feel that the embryo in her body was not just a life but also Tristan¡¯s hope.


    The next day, Kate got the right to go out. Because she was different from before, under these ¡°special conditions,¡± Tristan arranged a car and a driver for her. The driver was a tall and robust young man, in ck clothes and sunsses, taciturn. He looked more like a bodyguard than a driver.


    The ce Kate wanted to go to was the cemetery in the suburbs.


    The driver made no special reaction when she told him the destination. After they arrived, she asked him to wait outside. He hesitated a little and then nodded.


    It was the first time she came to this kind of ce.


    The cemetery was solemn and quiet, with lush trees and shrubs. Headstones of various shapes and stones stood there silently. Each oneid with a sleeping soul under it. The air there moved her.


    She started to look for the name on the headstones. From left to right, one by one, row by row. She was expecting it to show up in some stone, but she was also panicked and hoping it did not show up, as if then there was still hope.


    However, it soon appeared¡ªa new tomb with a ck marble headstone. The newly carved letters pricked her eyes and her heart.


    There was a picture on it. There wasn¡¯t a smile in his eyes. Jimmy¡¯s slightly curved lips seemed cynical. Because the photo was in ck and white, he wasn¡¯t the sunny person she was familiar with but looked strange and formal.


    Such a lively person had turned into ash and was buried under the earth. It was hard for her to ept even if now she had seen it herself. There was a moment when she wanted to run away from that tomb, but she stayed because the chance ofing to see him wasn¡¯t easily earned.


    Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind her, ¡°You havee finally.¡±


    Kate turned back and saw a young girl standing by a luxuriant cedar tree. She had short hair, pale skin, and swollen eyes. She looked a little familiar.


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember me? I am ire, Jimmy¡¯s colleague.¡± The girl said.


    Kate thought of meeting her once, but she was a little slow in reacting to her, ¡°You are looking for me?¡±


    ire spoke calmly, ¡°Someone wants to have a few words with you.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± hope rose from Kate¡¯s heart.


    ire turned and walked, and Kate followed. Their figures disappeared into the trees. After a few turns, they came to the emptynd.


    A man in a ck jacket was standing there with his back to them. His hands were behind him, and his hair was gray.


    Kate¡¯s heart sank.


    The man turned to them. He was in his fifties, medium height, with ordinary facial features except for a pair of sharp eyes.


    ¡°This is our deputy director Roger Kane, Jimmy, and my supervisor.¡± ire introduced.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The man reached his hand to Kate, ¡°Hi, Kate.¡±


    Kate reached her hand to shake with him mechanically.


    ire looked around and said, ¡°You two talk. I will go over there to watch.¡± And she took out a coat with a simr color to Kate¡¯s and put it on, and then she walked away.


    Kate was puzzled. The man said, ¡°I want to talk with you about something. It is about Jimmy.¡±


    Kate held her breath.

 Chapter 104: I Hope You Can Help Us

    Roger showed sadness in his eyes when he said, ¡°Jimmy was an excellent policeman, and we had great expectations for him. It is so sad that he died in action. What is more outrageous is that it wasn¡¯t simple revenge. We have conducted a thorough investigation, and we found a suspect not far from the scene of the ident.¡±


    He took a picture from his pocket and gave it to her.


    Kate took it. It was a picture taken from a traffic surveince system. After being erged, it was vague. A man was sitting in a car, wearing a baseball cap that covered most of his face except his mouth and chin. However, Kate recognized him at once. It was the taciturn Sam.


    She shivered and raised her head. The man nodded at her solemnly.


    ¡°In our analysis, this was a well-nned assassination. The hotel boss, under the order of this man, probably made the call to the rm center. The timing was perfect. When Jimmy and ire arrived, the suspect came out of the hotel. They followed naturally and fell into the trap they set¡­¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t react, but her blood was turning cold.


    Roger continued gloomily, ¡°Eight years ago, there was a murder in this city. A rich businessman was killed in his own house, and his body was thrown into the swimming pool. There was a gunshot in his temple¡­


    ¡°That was a sticky case. We didn¡¯t have any clues. Our colleague who was in charge of the case deduced the gun-type through the marks on the bullet casing. He spent a few years tracing the sources of guns and finally came to the record of LA customs. It was found identally that someone was smuggling luxury cars and other items with high tariffs. And thatpany smuggled this batch of guns in. However, our colleague was murdered as soon as he found the evidence.¡±


    Kate was terrified at the story. Then Roger sighed and said, ¡°This colleague was Jack Pardey. He is my old friend and Jimmy¡¯s Uncle Jack.¡±


    ¡°Five yearster, Jimmy found this evidence. And it is said that he got some new clues. But unfortunately, he suffered the same fate as his Uncle Jack.¡±


    Roger looked at Kate sincerely, ¡°You are a friend of Jimmy. I hope you can help us. They cannot die for nothing.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t remember how the conversation ended. When she walked back through the woods of cedar trees, she met ire again. ire¡¯s eyes were reddish. She said to Kate, ¡°He mentioned a few names before he died, yours was among them.¡±


    Kate staggered a little, and ire caught her, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Kate shook her head, and tears came to her eyes.


    ire softened her face and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know you very well, but Jimmy said you are a person with integrity. They are too strong, too powerful. And they have big heads covering them. We have to reach out to you for help.¡±


    Appearing detached from sadness, Kate went back to the vi, showing nothing unusual. Of course, in her heart, there were roaring waves and storms. The waves pushed by raging winds crashed on the beach and made great sounds that only she could hear.


    Daisy went to an interview that morning and came back in a cheerful mood. She heard that Kate had had an ultrasound exam, so she hade over to see her sister and the picture of the baby.


    Kate gave Daisy her purse absent-mindedly. She opened it and eximed, ¡°How amazing! The original shape of human life looks like a bean.¡±


    ¡°This kid will turn out to be great. The first time I heard about Mr. Fox from Max, I thought he was a middle-aged man with arge belly and a baldhead. I was so surprised when he stepped into the room. He looks like a movie star¡­¡±


    Daisyughed and continued, ¡°He is nice to you. Kate, the two hundred thousand dors you gave Father for surgery was given by him, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kate was depressed, and she was even more upset when she heard this. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Mom and Dad about me.¡±


    ¡°You cannot lie to them forever.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Kate was sad and said, ¡°Just keep this from them for the time being.¡±


    Daisy put down the picture of the baby and urged her, ¡°Kate, don¡¯t be too old-fashioned. There are a lot of people like you in this world. Don¡¯t take it so seriously.¡±


    Kate looked at her sister with a surprise, ¡°You don¡¯t think it is serious.¡±


    Daisy shrugged her shoulders, ¡°What else can you do? You have a baby with him. He doesn¡¯t have a wife. It is not even an extramarital affair. What are you scared of?¡±


    She rolled her eyes and then asked, ¡°Sister, you didn¡¯t intend to give up this child, did you?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t say anything, being seen through by her sister.


    Daisy said, ¡°It is bad for the body if a woman aborts her first child.¡±


    Kate smiled bitterly. It was not her consideration if it hurt her body or was hot.


    Daisy kept silent for a while and then said, ¡°You don¡¯t want the baby because you have someone else you love?¡±


    Kate still didn¡¯t reply. Her heart was aching.


    ¡°Then you¡¯d better make up your mind.¡±


    Daisy pointed to the bean in the picture, ¡°It is so small now. It probably cannot be counted as a child yet. And it won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Kate recalled the doctor said the embryo had the initial shape of a human and the limbs had formed.


    It had a human shape now. And a heartbeat.

 Chapter 105: How Could He Be So Cruel?

    Daisy observed her expression and stuck out her tongue, ¡°Forget about what I said. Just follow your heart. It is your blood and genes.¡±


    Tristan got back before they ate dinner, which was more cheerful with Daisy¡¯s conversations on various topics.


    Tristan asked about Daisy¡¯s interview, and she said it went well, except that thepany was small and the job seemed not suitable for her major. One probably could not learn as much as from apany like Chasin.


    Tristan said calmly that it was okay if Daisy wanted to go to theirpany.


    Daisy¡¯s eyes turned bright, ¡°Really, brother-inw?¡±


    Kate frowned. Daisy was always outspoken, but calling Tristan brother-inw was ridiculous. She winked at Daisy harshly, but she found Tristan showed somecency.


    ¡°I can talk with our human resources department. You still have to apply for the job and do whatever they require. It will be a bteral selection for both sides.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. No rush. I will spend some days with my sister. I will go when my sister gets better.¡±


    Tristan nodded.


    After dinner, Kate went to the guest room Daisy stayed in. She had just taken a shower and was blow-drying her hair in front of the mirror.


    Kate took the blow-dryer from her and helped.


    Daisy smiled at her sister in the mirror, ¡°I think of the time when we were small. You always helped me do my hair.¡±


    Kate smiled and said, ¡°You cared about your looks. And you said our elder sister didn¡¯t do it good enough for you.¡±


    ¡°She made a mess of my hair¡­¡± Sheined, and then an idea suddenly urred to her, ¡°Kate, do you think we look a little alike?¡±


    Kate looked in the mirror. The two faces had fair skin, a simr shape, long brown hair, quite alike generally.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have dimples on your face.¡± Daisy pursed her mouth.


    Kate¡¯s hand trembled, and her expression turned stiff. Then she thought of the important thing, ¡°Well, you are going to work in Chasin?¡±


    Daisy nodded, ¡°Nobody would give up a chance if they can get into it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go to work there.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Listen to me. Don¡¯t go. Go anywhere, better to go to another city.¡±


    The smile disappeared from Daisy¡¯s face, ¡°Kate, do you think I want to disturb your life here?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kate exined hastily, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me. What I want to say is Chasin isn¡¯t as good as you think it is.¡±


    ¡°It is not that I think it is good. It has a reputation, a star enterprise. If I can be an intern there, it will be easier for me to get a job elsewhere.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°You just see what is on the surface.¡±


    ¡°You see it as substantial?¡± Daisy said with disapproval. ¡°Sister, don¡¯t live in the past. Thepetition is so hard in this society. One should take good advantage of the resources in hand¡­¡±


    Kate was startled, ¡°Resources? Am I your resource?¡±


    Daisy changed her mind and grabbed her wrist and shook it pleasingly, ¡°Okay, my good sister. Don¡¯t talk about this. I will go out to find a ce to stay after I have a job. I will not hang out with you and disturb you two.¡±


    Kate got back to her own bedroom with a gloomy heart. Only the light beside the bed was on. Tristan was reading in the soft light.


    She found it was a tough road full of prickly bushes or an impassable canyon from the door to the bed. She had difficulty getting to the bed and sleeping there as if nothing had happened.


    Tristan suddenly raised his eyes from the book and looked at her. His eyes had a fire in them.


    Kate didn¡¯t know since when, but the way Tristan looked at her had something different. She didn¡¯t know what it was, but it was something sticky and heavy, and she felt she should run away from it.


    Kate took a deep breath and walked to the bed.


    After shey down on her side, Tristan switched off the light, and his warm chest leaned close. His hand reached her belly habitually.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± She said suddenly.


    He stopped and asked in puzzlement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Kate closed her eyes tight and bit her lower lip to suppress the words at the tip of her tongue, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me with your bloody hand.¡±


    The hand was sinful, and she could not endure its touch anymore.


    After a short instant of pause, the hand covered her belly. It was warm and dry, with an undeniable attitude. The familiar palm print rubbed against her skin, and Tristan said with disapproval, ¡°Don¡¯t fuss over nothing. You will scare the baby.¡±


    Kate bit her lip tightly to avoid jumping up or screaming out. Her closed eyelids could not stop tears froming out and flowing down along her hair to the pillow.


    She thought of the waterfalls she saw in Arizona.


    How could he take to see the beautiful scenery while plotting a murder?


    The time when she was jumping and bouncing in front of the waterfall and feeling great happiness, somebody¡¯s life was taken away by the most violent and bloody means.


    How could he be so cruel?


    How could he treat her like this?

 Chapter 106: You Keep Refusing Me

    This evening, as a representative of entrepreneurs of the starpanies in LA, Tristan attended a meeting with the officers of the city government to entertain some visiting officers from Columbia.


    He introduced some of their experiences in business development and operation. He came home muchter than he usually did.


    As he entered the house, it was quiet in the living room.


    He went to the kitchen to get a drink. The light in the kitchen was on. Under the soft light, a familiar figure was busying themselves with something in front of the oven. ¡°Kate¡­¡± he called gently.


    ¡°Hey, Tristan. You are back?¡± Daisy turned back and greeted him cheerfully.


    ¡°Where is your sister?¡±


    ¡°Went to sleep.¡± Daisy smiled, ¡°As a pregnant woman, she needs to get more rest. What do you want? Water? I got an awesome herbal tea. Do you want to try it?¡± She picked a cup and poured some in a cup for him.


    Tristan sat on the chair and sipped the tea. He was unable to identify the material used, but it was fragrant and smooth, just the appropriate temperature. ¡°You made this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Daisy nodded and added jokingly, ¡°Secret recipe from my great-great-grandma. I won¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°It tastes great.¡±


    ¡°Kate knows the recipe. Ask her to make it for you.¡±


    Tristan rolled his eyes. Kate made that for him. That would be when the sun rises from the west.


    It wasn¡¯t autumn yet, but her face had started to freeze. If there was someone else present, she might manage to maintain a friendly disposition, but if they were left alone, she was as cold as a snowman.


    Of course, he knew why she acted this way. The driver had reported where she went that day. The guy disturbed her heart when he was alive, and he was still haunting her after death.


    Luckily Tristan had made the right move. Now he had one more chip in his hand. In the past half-year, he had gotten used to the ipatible paces of their lives, but they somehow maintainedpatible interaction.


    Now all actions were suspended, and he felt lost.


    Thinking of this, a feeling mixed with frustration and tiredness overwhelmed him. Tristan took up the cup and drank up the remaining tea in it, and put it in the sink. When he stood up, his foot tripped over the leg of the chair, and he staggered.


    Daisy came to give him a hand. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    When she got close to him, a scent flew to him from her hair. It was the familiar scent he knew. And the wet hair fell on the back of his hand. Her palm was against his wrist and the heat transmitted to him, together with the trembling.


    He frowned and heard Daisy say, ¡°Kate¡­¡±


    Tristan turned back and saw Kate stood by the door, with a snowy face.


    He got rid of Daisy¡¯s hand and walked to the door, and asked gently, ¡°Why did you get up? Do you need water?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Kate seemed to have just woken up. She walked past him without a word, straight to the water dispenser.


    Daisy reacted now and moved the strap of her top up. She said to Kate, ¡°Let me help you.¡±


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± Kate said coldly. She got the water from the dispenser herself.


    Tristan stopped at the door for a few seconds and then walked out.


    Daisy pushed her hair backward awkwardly and said, ¡°I will go back to sleep.¡±


    Kate was left alone in the kitchen now. The room seemed silent and empty. It had been too crowded just now.


    She looked at the tilted chair and the kettle of herb tea. She suddenly felt there was a fire in her throat. She gulped a full cup of the water to extinguish the fire.


    After lingering for a while in the kitchen, she went back to her room.


    No one was on the bed. There was the sound of running water from the bathroom.


    After some time, Tristan came out. He had a towel wrapped around his waist. He bent his head down and rubbed his hair with a towel. There was another exnation for this action-to remove the evidence immediately.


    Under the light, his abdominal muscles were apparent and still shining with some water. In Kate¡¯s eyes, they lookedcent, which was really hateful.


    ¡°Why not go to sleep?¡± Tristan asked upon seeing her standing there.


    ¡°What did you do in the kitchen just now?¡±


    ¡°Do you care?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch my sister.¡±


    Heughed and walked to her, put the towel around her neck and pulled her closer, and then reached his mouth to her. Kate frowned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    Tristan said half smilingly, ¡°You keep refusing me. You are pushing me to other women.¡±


    She went stiff.


    He held her against him and said in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t give your clothes, shampoo, lotion, and whatever to others. If I drank a little bit more, and the light was a little bit dimmer, another woman would have taken advantage of your man.¡±

 Chapter 107: Is There Anything To Be Misunderstood?

    The next morning, Tristan sat at the dinner table spiritually. He ate his breakfast and read the newspaper gracefully.


    Daisy was a little awkward upon seeing him. She looked around and asked, ¡°My sister hasn¡¯t gotten up yet?¡±


    ¡°Right. She was too tired.¡±


    He used invincible means to get what he wantedst night. Kate had to take care not to make too much noise and had to let him have it. So he indulged in what he had missed for many days.


    Daisy seemed to understand and blushed a little, ¡°My sister didn¡¯t have a misunderstandingst night?¡±


    Tristan raised his head, ¡°Is there anything misunderstood?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°Right, I will take you to a ceter. You go out with meter.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She seemed to hear a merry mdy in her heart. And her face started getting hot again. She said okay in a low voice.


    When they went out, Kate had not gotten up yet.


    They got in the car. Tristan told the driver an address. It was a residential block. Daisy was nervous.


    Imagining was one thing; really doing it was another thing.


    When they arrived there, Daisy saw a high-end apartment building. Tristan gave her a ring of keys. There was a number on the key ring.


    ¡°This is the apartment thepany gives to the upper management. You can live here first. There is a bus from here to thepany. You can go to the HR department on Monday. If you need anything else, you can tell your sister or me.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s eyes turned dark, she asked, ¡°Tristan, what do you mean?¡±


    He looked at her with detachment, ¡°Daisy, I am sorry. I didn¡¯t think this through. I only thought about making your sister happy, but it would not be convenient for us to live together.¡±


    Daisy kept silent for a few seconds and asked, ¡°You like her so much?¡±


    Tristan raised his eyebrows and didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°What a shame! She only likes the policeman. She doesn¡¯t even want the child with you.¡± Daisy said with delight quickly.


    And then she stared at him and asked earnestly, ¡°Tristan, what do you see in Kate? Beauty or innocence? Has it ever urred to you that based on her personality, being so stubborn, she might not change her mind all her life? So you will lose no matter what you do.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s face obviously showed he was upset. And the air inside the car turned solid and cold. Since she had said that, she might as well take a risk, ¡°Do you think I am too material, too smart? I tried to get close to you because you are rich? No, it is not true. I liked you at first sight¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± Tristan interrupted her coldly.


    Daisy thought she had almost finished what she wanted to say anyway. She pushed the door open, and at thest moment, she had not given up yet. She added in a low voice, ¡°I hope you can give me a chance.¡±


    His reply was, ¡°Drive back.¡± And it was spoken to by the driver.


    The door closed, and the car sped out. The wind blew Daisy¡¯s skirt up. She stepped back a little, and the courage she had faded away. She put her hands on the skirt and stood there for a while.


    Kate got up past 10 AM. She went to the dining roomzily. Laura served her breakfast. Her lips hurt when she was drinking soup. That bastard bit her lipsst night.


    As she was eating slowly, Daisy came back. She stood at the door and looked at her sister oddly. Kate raised her head and asked, ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    ¡°Come out with me after you finish your breakfast. I have something to talk to you about.¡± She walked away with her bag.


    Laura was amused, ¡°You sisters fighting?¡±


    Kate thought ofst night and snorted. She went on with her breakfast.


    After she finished, she went out and found Daisy standing by the swimming pool. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t even notice Kateing up.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Daisy turned back and said, ¡°You asked me where I went this morning. I will tell you.¡± She smiled weirdly, ¡°Your man took me out.¡±


    Kate was startled. And she seemed to recall, ¡°Your man is really strong. We did it for a whole morning. I was going to fall apart. You have it every night?¡±


    Before she finished, she got a p on the face, apanied by Kate¡¯s snap, ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Kate put her hand back and said in a fury, ¡°Does anyone make fun of this? He is not a nice guy. What do you see in him?¡±


    Daisy got furious too, ¡°Kate, I have seen through you. You are a hypocrite. You say you don¡¯t like him, but when you saw I was with him alone, you got angry. And you asked me not to work in hispany. You are just afraid that I am getting close to him. You are guarding him against me.¡±


    Kate scowled, ¡°These are two things.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°Why are they two things? They are for the same purpose. You pretend you are not willing to be with him because you are afraid of being used of selling your body.¡±


    After these harsh words, she added, ¡°Everyone says you are silly, but you are pretending. If you are paying him back, then okay, why not let me pay him back for you. Since you could give me the chance to go to college, why not be a little bit more generous and give me that man?¡±


    Kate was hurt by her words and blurted out, ¡°Even if I give him to you, he might not want you.¡±


    This was right to the point, and it was like being stabbed in the heart. Daisy could not think of something to say back.


    She looked at the glistening water under the sun, sneered, and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to deliver the baby for him? Why not jump down. After a few seconds, the baby might be gone, and I will take the me for you.¡±


    And she even came to push her and urged her, ¡°Just jump.¡±


    Kate wasn¡¯t prepared for this. She clung to the pole of the umbre and said, ¡°Why should I listen to you? The child is not for him. It is my child too.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you admitted it. You want to have the name as well as being a bitch. I will tell Mom and Dad about you.¡±


    ¡°They are our parents. You are going to kill them.¡±

 Chapter 108: I Hate You

    The two of them made loud noises that Laura could hear from the kitchen. She ran out hurriedly to separate them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two? Can¡¯t you talk it out?¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    She helped Kate sit down and stroke her belly nervously.


    Laura med Daisy, ¡°Don¡¯t scare the little baby. If there is something wrong with it, we three cannot get away with it.¡±


    Daisy stared at them for a while and went to her room to pack her things up.


    After she felt pacified, Kate told Laura, ¡°Don¡¯t tell him what happened just now.¡±


    Laura sighed and said, ¡°Okay, but you have to be careful from now on. I can¡¯t take responsibility if something happens.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Kate touched her belly. ¡°I know.¡±


    After she returned to her room, Kate took out the ultrasonic picture. She could not distinguish the limbs of the baby. After a while, she held it upside down. Sheughed out loud and put it right side up. ¡°This was the heart,¡± she pointed at the picture and said, imitating the doctor.


    Her baby, only less than ten weeks old, had a heart. What a strong life! How could its mother take its life carelessly?


    Everything works the same way: Only when you are going to lose it do you realize how important it is to you.


    Kate stayed detached because she always regarded it as the morbid child of Tristan. She didn¡¯t want to have anything binding them together. Now she thought the kid was inside her, close to her, fresh from her body.


    Her decision was made after many debates inside.


    She put the photo in her mouth and kissed it with tears.


    When she looked out the window, the sunshine seemed brighter, full of mercy and energy. It made the ugliness and despair escape.


    Kate was happy because of this new hope, this new life.


    In the evening, when Tristan came back, Daisy had already gone. Kate didn¡¯t try to stop her. She asked Laura to help her get a cab.


    Even though she didn¡¯t say anything, she looked different, as if she was bathed in blessings. Being sensitive, Tristan detected this immediately.


    After dinner, he held Kate¡¯s hand and went to the balcony to see the stars.


    He sat on the chair, holding Kate in hisp, and sighed, ¡°It is better we two are left alone.¡± And then he corrected, ¡°No, three. Three of us.¡± And he touched her belly gently.


    Kate felt in his arms how he was hatefully proud. She couldn¡¯t help giving him a blow, ¡°It could be a fool.¡± But she regretted it immediately after she said it. How could she curse her own child?


    Tristan didn¡¯t care much, ¡°It is good to be simple-minded. It is a blessing.¡±


    His tone was affectionate. Kate sighed. This man looked gentle and harmless sometimes, but she really wanted to ask him why he did so many evil things.


    Didn¡¯t he worry about bringing misfortune to his child?


    The wind brought the fragrance of nts and flowers from the garden. The Camellias were blooming quietly, and their soothing sweet scent was flowing secretly in the air. Everything was so tranquil that nobody wanted to break the silence.


    Kate said softly, ¡°I went to the cemetery a few days ago.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t expect her to mention it, though he already knew that. His heart shrank.


    Then she muttered as if she was speaking to herself, ¡°When I first came to LA, I was less than 19. I knew nothing about LA. I came with somebody and got a job. I didn¡¯t like the job, but I had to do it¡­It was in a Karaoke bar. I met all kinds of guests, and the drunken men were dreadful animals to me. You don¡¯t know what he could do the next second. I had to be very careful. Every day when I left the ce, I celebrated surviving the day. But one day¡­¡±


    She went stiff and could not help trembling. Tristan understood what she might say and wanted to stop her, but she continued, ¡°A guy pressed me on a couch and touched me, ripped my clothes off, and reached his hand under my skirt¡­¡±


    She breathed fast and said with a trembling voice, ¡°I was so scared, but the people around wouldn¡¯t help me. I had to fight for myself. I grabbed a bottle from the table and hit him on the head¡­He bled. The blood came from his head to his face. I thought, great, he was dead, and I was free. But then I thought if he died, I had to die¡­¡±


    Kate sniffed.


    Tristan didn¡¯t have the heart to listen, but he knew she had the need to talk. So he hugged her tighter tofort her.


    ¡°Then the police came. They asked the waitresses there to stand in a row with their hands behind their heads. They wanted me to stand there too, but I wouldn¡¯t. I said I was not a prostitute, but they didn¡¯t believe me. They said I not only prostituted myself but also injured somebody intentionally. I was scared to death. If it wasn¡¯t for Jimmy¡­¡±


    Kate had tears all over her face, ¡°I don¡¯t know if now I would still be in jail or I would have killed myself at the scene.¡±


    Tristan wiped the tears on her face and showed deep sorrow for her in his eyes. He seemed to feel the pain she experienced with regret.


    Kate said chokingly, ¡°He not only saved my life but also saved my self-esteem.¡±


    She cried like a child now and breathed shortly.


    Tristan held her in his arms tightly and closed his eyes. He felt her body curl up and tremble. Each tremble of her pulled his heart and caused his heart to ache.


    After a while, Kate said, ¡°As I have been with you, of course, I will not be with any other man. I surely will not cheat on you. But why did you take away thest chance I could see him? Why?¡±


    ¡°He was different from you. So different!¡±


    She beat him with her fists. ¡°I hate you, hate you.¡±


    Tristan bore with it and didn¡¯t make a sound.


    Kate was overwhelmed with sadness. She could not use him, and she could only me herself.


    She hated him, but she also hated herself.


    She told Jimmy about Caroline because she felt guilty inside. But to protect her own family, she kept the most important part of the story from him.


    When he was so close to the truth, she still could not stand up, to tell the truth. If Jimmy knew the truth, this man might be brought to justice, and Jimmy could not have died in vain.


    Now innocent people had died and the murderer and her, the indirect murderer. We were here enjoying the peaceful night and were going to have a baby. It was so unfair.


    Too unfair¡­

 Chapter 109: Are These All Yours?

    Late that night, Kate¡¯s head was splitting because of her crying. Her eyes were swollen like those of a goldfish. Tristan put ice on her eyes to help soothe them.


    When he went to take a shower, he took off his shirt and saw there were some bruises on his chest. He pressed them and felt some pain. He smiled bitterly. She didn¡¯t have much strength, but she had beaten him for a long time.


    Constant dripping wears a stone. That was it.


    And as he looked closely in the mirror, at the familiar face, he saw there was something different in his eyes.


    For so many years, he had made decisions with his own senses. However, after knowing Kate, his degenerated emotional functions seemed to have been revived. He started to have moments where his actions were influenced by his emotions.


    After he left the bathroom, Kate was still sobbing in her sleep. She might still be using him of crimes in her dreams. He bent down to kiss her face and hair. And then hey down beside her and hugged her.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    He said, ignoring whether she could hear him or not, ¡°I will take you to see someone in a couple of days.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t expect the ce Tristan took her to be a sanatorium. It was located at the other end of the city, close to the sea, with wonderful views. The warm and moist air by the seaside was very good for the sick and elderly.


    She saw a que with Chasin near the door. She asked, ¡°Was this built by yourpany?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He had been quiet all the way here. And after he got out of the car, he was grave. He held her hand in his palm tightly.


    Kate was speechless at his action. It made her feel like she was a naughty kid and would get lost or be kidnapped at his oversight.


    The facilities in the sanatorium werepleted and orderly. There were greenwns between the buildings. Some elderly people were walking along the paths or sunbathing on the grass. Flowers bloomed in the gardens, and the trees flourished with lush leaves.


    They walked past the office building and went to a small house in a rtively secluded area. It was quiet here, and few people would pass by.


    Walking through the door of the fence, they saw an old woman sitting on a chair in the yard. She was sitting with her back to them. Her curly hair was half silver. She wore brightly colored clothes that nearly matched the flowers around her.


    The nurse saw them and reminded her, ¡°See who ising?¡±


    She turned back slowly. She had aged very well, and one could see what she looked like when she was young. Her eyes moved from Tristan to Kate, and then she grinned. It was the kind of smile that was as innocent as a child, but¡­something was missing.


    ¡°Alzheimer¡¯s disease,¡± Tristan exined.


    Kate¡¯s heart was shocked.


    He let go of her hand and walked to the old woman. He knelt down in front of her and held her hand. ¡°Hey, Mom. I came to see you.¡±


    His mother said, ¡°oh!¡± pointing to the person behind him and said slowly, ¡°Thedy is pretty.¡±


    Tristan rose and turned back. His eyes had some kind of expectation.


    Kate walked close and didn¡¯t know how to address her. She said, ¡°Hi.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother turned to the small round table beside her, on which there was a te of cupcakes. She picked one and gave it to Kate. ¡°Try this.¡±


    Kate took it and said thanks. Seeing Tristan¡¯s mother looking at her with expectation, she put it to her mouth. It was soft and yummy but a little dry. Tristan asked the nurse, ¡°Could you please give her a cup of water?¡±


    The nurse went back to the house and brought a bottle of water. When Tristan twisted the cap open, Kate had finished the cupcake and was a little choked. Tristan¡¯s mother pped her hands happily.


    When she gulped the water, she felt relieved. Tristan looked at her with half disapproval and half pity, ¡°Why did you eat in a rush?¡±


    His mother¡¯s eyes, resting on Kate¡¯s face, shone with curiosity and joy.


    Tristan asked her, ¡°Do you like thisdy?¡±


    She nodded hard and said, ¡°She has that¡­¡± She stretched her hand and pointed to her cheek.


    Kate stiffened at the ce she pointed.


    It was the dimples again. Why was the whole family obsessed with this?


    Tristan read her mind and exined, ¡°My mom doesn¡¯t remember anything. She just likes dimples.¡±


    This exnation did not help much.


    Tristan¡¯s mother didn¡¯t know what they were thinking. She turned aside and picked an azalea and gave it to Kate pleasingly, ¡°This is for you.¡±


    Kate took it and thanked her again.


    Tristan¡¯s mother seemed happy to see Kate, and sheughed. She took Kate¡¯s hand and led her to the house.


    When they walked in, Kate was surprised. The vast room was decorated in bright colors like a child¡¯s room.


    The nurse smiled and exined that she loved bright colors.


    Kate turned back and found Tristan didn¡¯t follow her. He was sitting on the chair his mother had vacated just now and was observing the flowerbed while thinking.


    Tristan¡¯s mother brought Kate to a big shelf that covered almost one entire side of the room. There were a variety of items there, all with the same characteristic of extremely high color saturation. Kate asked her cooperatively, ¡°Are these all yours?¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother nodded with satisfaction.


    Kate said softly, ¡°You are so blessed.¡± And she picked up a plush yellow duck andmented, ¡°How cute!¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother asked immediately, ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    Kate smiled and put it back, shaking her head.


    The nurse there smiled too. ¡°You two really hit it off. Aunty never gives her things to anybody. She fought a guy for these things.¡±


    Being told this, Tristan¡¯s mother turned and punched the nurse on the hand. The nurse was used to her actions andughed them off.


    There was a bookshelf, too, with rows of storybooks. Tristan¡¯s mother took out one and asked Kate to read to her. Kate followed. They sat on the colorfully cushioned chair, and Tristan¡¯s mother listened attentively, though it was unclear if she understood or not.


    As Kate read, she felt somebody was looking at her.


    She raised her head and saw that Tristan had been watching them, sitting on the couch near the window. He averted his eyes and pressed his lips together. His eyebrows stretched out. It was difficult to determine his mood.


    Still, water runs deep. Under the tranquil surface, the water was surging, Kate thought.

 Chapter 110: The Explanation Was Useless

    Soon a couple of hours had passed. Tristan had an event to attend in the evening, and he also worried about Kate getting fatigued. He held Kate¡¯s hand and said to his mother, ¡°Mom, we need to go now. We wille to see you another day.¡±


    His mother seemed reluctant and was about to change her face. She opened her mouth but closed it after a glimpse of her son.


    The way she closed her mouth resembled Tristan¡¯s mannerisms.


    Then she bent down, took off a silver bracelet from her wrist, and shoved it onto Kate¡¯s hand.


    Kate was startled. This bracelet might mean something to the olddy. But considering her mental state, she could not give it back. Kate took it and looked to Tristan for help.


    The surprise came to his face too, but he shrugged and said, ¡°Just take it.¡±


    Kate hesitated, so Tristan held up her hand and helped her put the bracelet on.


    The olddy was upset about their departure, but now she said, ¡°Have a kiss.¡±


    They were surprised.


    Kate said, ¡°Well, it is not a ring.¡±


    Tristan took up her hand and kissed the back of it cooperatively. His motherughed and pped her hands. The nurse smiled too.


    Tristan acted naturally, but Kate bristled a little.


    Before they left, Tristan said to his mother, ¡°Mom, she is Kate. Kate, remember?¡±


    And then he added in a low voice, ¡°I am Tristan.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    The olddy nodded, but they didn¡¯t know if she understood.


    On the way back, the air inside the car was heavy.


    Tristan broke the silence first, ¡°I knew my mom would like you.¡±


    Kate looked at him with puzzlement. To be honest, she felt ttered today.


    He exined, ¡°That is part of your personal charm. You see, elderly people, children, and small animals all like you.¡± After a pause, ¡°Do you know why?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Because you are not aggressive. You make them feel safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I am weak.¡±


    Tristanughed, and the peaceful disguise on his face faded away.


    Then he seemed to have the desire to talk. He sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t oftene here. It is not that I don¡¯t have time or I don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t dare toe.¡± His voice dried up.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    His hand sought his forehead. ¡°It is my problem.¡±


    A few secondster, Tristan said with sadness, ¡°I cannot ept the way she is. Though it has been many years, I still cannot get used to it¡­ She is my closest blood rtive, but we cannotmunicate. I tell her anything I am exhrated about, but she will remain in a haze. I tell her of my pain, and sheughs. She will stop talking to you halfway through a sentence and turn to seek something fun.¡±


    He smiled bitterly, ¡°It makes me feel how feeble I am.¡±


    Imagining this in her mind, Kate admitted it was both funny and heartbreaking.


    She bent down and touched the bracelet on her wrist. It was carved with some mysterious characters on it. She thought of one thing suddenly. ¡°Your mother seemed a little scared of you.¡±


    Tristan gripped the steering wheel tighter and said, ¡°You saw that too.¡±


    ¡°It is probably because I don¡¯t look like her son anymore.¡±


    It was vague, but Kate understood.


    Tristan sighed inside. This was the most frustrating part of his life.


    Even if he was good at disguising it, he could not fool some eyes. A small animal might recognize the evilness in him. His change could not escape his mother¡¯s eyes, even after she had dementia.


    Was it for this reason that she liked Kate, who was like clear water or clean white paper with no scratches on it?


    Every time Tristan saw his mother, his evil self would surface. He needed to sabotage something in order to vent his feelings. It was under these circumstances that he had met Kate for the first time. He could not help pressing her head into that water.


    In a moment, he felt the impulse to exin that to her, but it soon disappeared.


    What had been done had been done.


    Water under the bridge. The exnation was useless.

 Chapter 111: What Made Him Change?

    Kate understood Tristan¡¯s fear of his mother. She was going to be a mother too. She wanted her child to be simple and have a clear conscience.


    She didn¡¯t want her child to be as hard, cold, and cruel as the person sitting beside her. But he happened to be the father of her child. She was afraid it could take after him.


    She was curious about what he was like when he was younger.


    She had seen a picture, a shy teenager with pure eyes. He had been a good person once. What made him change to what he was today?


    He said he had too many things in his heart.


    What were those things?


    This contradictory man had too many riddles, and Kate had never been good at guessing.


    After some time, Kate said peacefully and slowly, ¡°My grandma lived to be over 80. In thest few months of her life, she could not recognize people and had a terrible temper. I was the one who spent the most time with her, and she wasn¡¯t nice to me. I was sad and thought she didn¡¯t like me as she used to¡­¡±


    Tristan turned to look at her.


    ¡°Later, I figured out that she was just sick. Being sick changed not only her body but also changed her mind. She wasn¡¯t herself. She still loved me then.¡±


    Tristan turned away, and his throat moved a little.


    The hot weather left gradually, and the sky seemed thousands of meters higher than before. It was blue, clear, and decorated with some lonesome clouds, which were as white as snow.


    When Kate looked up to the sky, she felt better. The thing in her belly had tormented her. It wasn¡¯t too big yet, but it was powerful in making trouble. The doctor said that the first three months of pregnancy required special caution, especially for those who were having their first child.


    Kate didn¡¯t go to school anymore, but she tried to watch video lectures online for a couple of hours each day. She spent the rest of her days taking rest. She usually sat on the balcony in the afternoon bathing in the sun with a book spread on herp. Most of the time, she didn¡¯t read it at all.


    It was the day for a regr check-up again.


    Tristan was always aware of the check-up appointments even though he always had a full agenda. He went with Kate to see the doctor. He probably enjoyed the feeling of being a father.


    The little thing was a few millimeters longer, and the ultrasound outline was clearer. The magic of life brought endless joy to both would-be parents, and the little growth was received with an exmation.


    Hearing the doctor¡¯s diagnosis of normal development, they both heaved a sigh of relief. They sought each other¡¯s eyes, but when they met, Kate averted hers hurriedly, while Tristan grinned.


    After getting out of the hospital, the sun was bright. Kate walked slower than before and minded every step she took. She often looked down to the floor to make sure there wasn¡¯t any potential peril.


    Tristan slowed down his pace to amodate her and enjoyed the leisurely stroll. Looking at his watch, he saw it was almost noon.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°I will take you out for a big lunch. Don¡¯t you get skinnier and skinnier while the baby gets bigger and bigger.¡±


    On the way, Tristan got a call, and after talking for a while, he said okay and hung up. He looked out the window at the clear and cloudless sky. The scenery was so beautiful that one could not bear to waste it.


    He turned and said apologetically, ¡°I have something urgent I need to attend to first. Then we will go to lunch.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t disagree, of course.


    The car went to a remote area and stopped at a gate.


    It was a private club with a. A huge garden and a castle-like three-story building. They drove up a long driveway to the house. A male staff member came out to drive their car away, and a female staff member led Tristan and Kate to a lounge on the second floor. She brought tea and deserts and then retreated.


    Tristan asked Kate to rest there and eat something while he went out.


    Kate had not started to eat, but her stomach was churning again. She had to go to the bathroom. When she was inside the bathroom, she heard footsteps outside, and one said, ¡°Sister, you see the old man who came just now? I saw him on TV. He was giving a speech¡­¡±


    ¡°Hush. You forgot what the manager said yesterday. Better keep your mouth shut.¡±


    The previous one shut their mouth. Then the other one muttered again, ¡°Everyone whoes here is either rich or powerful. Remember, don¡¯t fuss about whoever you have seen.¡±


    Kate pressed the rinse button of the toilet only after they were gone.


    She walked back to the lounge but forgot which door it was. There were many doors, and they were all closed. She was afraid of making mistakes.


    Suddenly she thought of Tristan. Was he behind one of these doors?

 Chapter 112: Do You Like It?

    Soft and slow music filled the air of the room without disturbing the two people who were ying chess. The antique chess pieces were made of elegant ck walnut.


    One of the pieces was removed from the checkerboard. Tristan checked his watch. His rival detected it and asked, ¡°In a rush?¡±


    He paused and said honestly, ¡°I have an appointment for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Woman?¡±


    Tristan smiled.


    ¡°Rumor says you have a little girlfriend that you are crazy about. You hang out with her all the time. I didn¡¯t believe it, but now I am convinced. I thought we could have a good fight today¡­¡± He stopped and said, ¡°What a surprise!¡±


    ¡°Ha, youughed at me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it is okay. Whatever career a man has, he has to have a family.¡±


    ¡°When will you start the position in the state government?¡±


    ¡°It was scheduled to start after the New Year, but I had to put it off. Kane lost one of his men recently. He has a problem with his heart and is on leave now. There are too many cases to leave unattended. I have to cover for him for a while.¡±


    Tristan seemed uninterested in his job and switched to the subject that mattered most to him, ¡°Well, I have contacted a top neurologist in New York and sent the medical records to him. There will be a consultation in a couple of days. I have wired payment to that ount.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± The other one sighed, ¡°Ruth has had numerous surgeries these past few years. My heart can never catch a break.¡±


    ¡°If this surgery goes well, it will be done for good. You won¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡±


    Kate ate half a dish of cookies while she was waiting. Vomiting became less frequent, and her eating volume increased as her belly grew bigger.


    There was a shelf in the room with arts and crafts. A clear crystal ball with purplish color caught her eyes. She took it up and saw through it. It reflected her deformed face on the curved surface.


    Tristan pushed the door and walked in. He saw what she was ying with and said, ¡°Do you like it? Take it if you like.¡±


    Kate asked in surprise, ¡°Is it free?¡±


    ¡°Free.¡±


    When they finished lunch and were going to leave, Kate heard Tristan tell the staff to put the crystal ball in the bill. She took it out of her purse immediately, but Tristan grabbed it and put it in his pocket, and held her hand out of the door.


    After they got into the car, Kate said, ¡°Can they make money with so few customers?¡±


    Tristanughed and said, ¡°They are selling the quiet and secluded atmosphere here. Besides, they make a pile out of one customer.


    Kate was shocked. Were the things they ate so expensive?


    Tristan took out the crystal ball from his pocket and gave it to Kate. It was clear with no impurities and even gave a purplish color as you turned around to see all its sides. ¡°Is this real crystal?¡± Kate asked.


    ¡°No. ss.¡±


    The next day, Tristan spent the whole morning at home.


    Kate had thrown up three times since she had woken up. She ate a small breakfast and then went back to bed. Shey there with her eyes closed, feeling dizzy.


    Tristan stayed with her for a while and then went to his study to work.


    While he was reading some emails, he heard the cat crying outside the window. First, it cried once. Later there was a scary cry. Something was wrong.


    Laura knocked on the door and came in anxiously, reporting that Lucy was on the roof of the house and could not get down. It was meowing out of fear all this time.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Tristan went out of the house and saw Lucy was at the slope of the roof. It spread its fat body on the roof and grabbed the red tiles helplessly with its ws.


    The window of the attic was opened slightly. The cat was azybones. Did it find a mouse in the attic?


    The tiles were smooth, and Lucy had the tendency to slide down. It meowed helplessly.


    Tristan asked Laura to take a nket out and wait there to catch Lucy if she fell down. He went to the attic to rescue it.


    Kate went into Tristan¡¯s study after Tristan left the room.

 Chapter 113: I Will Be Careful From Now On

    She had checked all his drawers earlier but found nothing. Even in the locked drawers, for she had taken the keys when he was asleep and checked, reaped nothing.


    She put things back in ce exactly as they were before. This was thanks to her experience at the supermarket. She was good at arranging things on the shelves, except for theputer, where she tried a password twice but didn¡¯t get through.


    She didn¡¯t dare to try again.


    She came just in time before the screensaver started. A spreadsheet was on the screen.


    She sat down and put her hand on the mouse.


    While Kate was doing this, she felt that she was not herself. Somebody else possessed her. Her body was feeble, but her mind was clear. She knew all the instructions she was given, and she obeyed them mechanically.


    Lucy was still meowing outside the window, and Laura, who was outside, and Tristan, on the roof, spoke from time to time.


    They sounded so far away as if they were in another world.


    Too many folders and files¡­ She didn¡¯t have time to check the content of each file. She could only judge from the file names based on the financial knowledge she had learned in her half-semester at college.


    Time was ticking away.


    And the bar of the copying task was moving bit by bit. Her stomach was churning again.


    She put her hand to her mouth and felt her hand was cold. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and took deep breaths.


    Besides the reason that she agreed to help the deputy director Roger Kane, she wanted to know what he was doing for herself.


    She could guess that the government officers traded with business giants from what she overheard the two waitresses saying in the private club. She didn¡¯t know what exactly these trades were, but the clues might be enough.


    The rest needed to be investigated by the people who were more professional.


    The rescue was a tough task. Lucy had slid to the middle of the roof. Tristan got out to the roof from the attic window too and stooped down to reach for Lucy. Lucy slid downward bit-by-bit and screamed from time to time.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Luckily Tristan was both imperturbable and incredibly supple thanks to his diligence in working out. After some effort, his hand finally reached Lucy. He urged her gently, ¡°Lucy,e on. Grab my hand.¡±


    Lucy was out of her mind, and her hair had all stood up. She looked at Tristan for a long time and finally managed to reach one of her trembling legs to him. He grabbed her leg and pulled it up.


    When she got to his arms, Lucy clung to him tightly. Tristan heaved a sigh of relief and patted her back. ¡°Good girl.¡±


    He had to be very careful going back to the attic, or it would be not just the cat that fell off the roof. He might not die from the fall, but it would be a shame to break his bones.


    Lucy freaked out. Even after theynded safely in the attic, it would not get down from Tristan¡¯s arms. Her ws grabbed his clothes tightly, and he could not get her to release him.


    He was amused and pitied Lucy, ¡°Bad girl, now you learn the lesson? Don¡¯t you ever run to the attic again?¡±


    ¡°And remember to eat less and work out more.¡±


    After stroking it for a long time, her hair turned soft, and her ws loosened. Tristan put it down and went to wash his hands and change his clothes. When he passed the bedroom, he pushed the door open softly.


    He saw Kate stand not far from the door with a pale face. He frowned and asked, ¡°You threw up again?¡±


    Kate¡¯s lips trembled. She didn¡¯t look at him, shook her head, and then nodded again.


    He went to grab her hand. They were cold. He said sympathetically, ¡°You suffered a lot from it.¡±


    ¡°You will have only this baby. I will be careful from now on.¡±


    Kate¡¯s hand trembled a little, and she didn¡¯t make a sound.


    Her pitiful look always touched the softest part of Tristan¡¯s heart. He pushed her to his arms and asked gently, ¡°Are you hungry? I will ask Laura to cook something you like for you.¡±


    The gentler he was, the colder Kate felt. She shivered all over her body.


    She clung to Tristan¡¯s waist, and his strong body transmitted some power to her and made her feel at ease. She put her face against his chest and listened to the steady and powerful beating of his heart. Her wildly beating heart was pacified.


    Tristan was surprised at her voluntarily seeking his hugging. Probably hormones from her pregnancy were stimting her. For this part of her pregnancy, he weed the change. He held her tighter to his arms.


    They stayed in that position for a while, and then Tristan asked, ¡°Do you want to go to lie down? I will call you when Laura gets the food ready.¡±


    Kate nodded on his chest.


    He carried her up and put her on the bed carefully, covered the nket for her and kissed her on the forehead, and then left the room.

 Chapter 114: Let Me Handle This

    When the door was finally closed, Kate heaved a sigh.


    It was so close. If he had held up her left hand, he would find that she had a pink sh drive in her palm.


    If he hade back half a minute earlier, he would see her running out of his study hurriedly.


    If he had gone back to his study directly, he would see the screensaver was not on¡­


    They had a few peaceful days.


    One afternoon, Max and Daisy showed up.


    Tristan was at home too. He was apanying Kate watching a training video for pregnant women.


    The fat cat was sleeping by their feet. She had to be checked from time to time and bathed more frequently to make sure she wouldn¡¯t carry parasites or bacteria that could harm the pregnant woman and the baby.


    Tristan wanted to send it away for some time, but Kate did some online research and found that it was not necessary to be so cruel to the cat.


    They were wearing lovers¡¯ clothes. The man was gray, and the woman was pink. Their looks matched each other, notwithstanding the age and temperament differences between them.


    The scene stung Daisy, and she lowered her eyes. Tristan asked them to sit down naturally, and Laura brought tea and desserts.


    Kate was delighted in receiving them. Ever since her fight with Daisy, they had not talked on the phone. She got some information about her through Max, though. Daisy was working in some estatepany under the Chasin group.


    About the matter that brought them here, Max looked awkward.


    Daisy spoke out first, ¡°It was my idea toe to you. We got something going on in our family.¡±


    Kate was startled and asked, ¡°What happened? Mom or dad got sick?¡±


    Daisy asked coldly, ¡°How long since you called them?¡±


    Kate felt guilty. She didn¡¯t like to call her parents since she found out she was pregnant. She called a couple of times, but she always kept the conversation short, as if she worried they could see her bulging belly through the telephone line.


    Max continued the subject, ¡°Here is what happened. There were some guys that showed up and said our house belonged to their family one or two generations back. And they produced something like and title. Our father said our grandpa worked for thendlord of the house as a cook for decades. His sons and daughters abandoned him and went to the big cities. So he agreed to sell the house to grandpa at low cost on the condition that he lived there until he died. That house has belonged to our family since then.¡±


    ¡°So what do they want now?¡± Tristan asked.


    ¡°They want to get it back, with just a littlepensation for us to move out. Ten thousand dors, and we get out of there in a month.¡± Daisy said. ¡°Our house is worth far more than that. Besides, we cannot buy a house with that money at all.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we take this to court?¡± Kate asked.


    ¡°Our grandpa bought that house way more than fifty years ago, and thendlord was muddled then, and there was no title deed to be found. If this is taken to court, we may get nothing at all.¡±


    Max added, ¡°One of the guys, probably the grandson, owns a bigpany. He says he wants to build a factory there. Mom and Dad asked them to increase thepensation so that we could buy a small house, but they refused.¡±


    Tristan thought about it and said, ¡°Let me handle this.¡±


    Daisy gave him an admirable look, but Max¡¯s expression wasplicated. He looked at Kate.


    Kate rejected his help by instinct, but she could not see her old parents be homeless.


    Tristan touched her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It is not a big deal.¡±


    The thing that drained their whole family¡¯s wits out was not a big deal to him. Kate didn¡¯t know what she should think. She was speechless.


    After Daisy and Max left, Tristan said, ¡°What is it? You seemed to disapprove of me?¡±


    Kate looked at him and asked, ¡°How are you going to handle it?¡±


    ¡°It is useless to reason with these guys.¡±


    ¡°So you will pay for them?¡±


    ¡°You will just encourage them to ask for a foot if you give them an inch.¡±


    Seeing the nervousness in her eyes, he downyed it, ¡°It is okay. We will just give them a little heads up and make them get back to their senses.¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s continue watching the video.¡±


    Kate was still absent-minded after sitting down. Tristan held her shoulders andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not cause trouble for your family. Nor to myself. I will have Ed go over there personally. He is good at this.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    At these words, Kate recalled two asions. She was kidnapped and threatened with a knife on her face; Max was set up and scared to death for four full days.


    The doctor in the video was narrating all kinds of scenarios a pregnant woman might encounter, but they could not get into her mind. The person beside her was immersed in it.


    Kate sighed. There was too big a gap between them. They were totally different people.

 Chapter 115: Stealing Evidence

    When she put the key into the lock, Kate had a second of hesitation, but she pushed it in and twisted it immediately afterward.


    With a click, the door opened.


    The ce was quiet and peaceful like thest time she hade there.


    The files she copied from Tristan¡¯sputer, after an initial check, turned out to be mostly bookkeeping files and contracts of recent years. But she had been told that hispany¡¯s operation in recent years was normal and the illegal activities should have happened way back, in the period where the original capital was umting.


    So she thought of this apartment. He told her that he moved out of here five years ago. And this was a ce with special significance to him.


    When one was into something, one usually was obsessed or paranoid about it. This task she took on was possibly motivated by ethical concerns, or her curiosity or pregnancy hormones now made her feel like she was possessed by Sherlock Holmes.


    In the photo on the wall, that woman whose name she didn¡¯t know yet was looking at her gently.


    Kate said sorry to her in her heart.


    And then she went up to the second floor.


    Hours passed by, and she had broken a sweat on her forehead.


    The hair that was pinned up came loose, and one strand fell on the side of her face. Based on her little knowledge of Tristan¡¯s personality and her own instincts, Kate searched the study first. After she removed one-third of the books from the shelf, she found a concealed cab on the floor.


    Sliding open the door, she found a metal box of simr size to the shoebox in the cab. This should be what she was searching for. She took the box out and put it on the floor, but then she frowned-there was a coded lock on it.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    An 8-digit sliding wheels lock. She put in his birthday, wrong¡ªtheir wedding date, wrong.


    Kate sighed. She tried these two dates on the studyputer, and they were wrong there too. But she could not think of any other numbers. If she just took the box, she wouldn¡¯t have to think about it, but she abandoned this idea.


    Finally, she put in another number.


    And she heard the incredible clicking sound! She had no time to be surprised at her idental sess. The things inside the box consumed all her attention.


    The box was filled with many cassette tapes and discs, along with a few brown envelopes and a thick notebook.


    She carried the box to the next room, where there was a media yer.


    She took out the cassette tapes on the topyer on the right. There was abel attached to it on which a long number was written. She put it in the cassette yer and pressed the y button. The maic head started to run, and there was the sound of a man¡¯s voice.


    After she finished that tape, she took it out, put it back in the box, and took out a DVD.


    On the screen, a man and a woman spoke only a few words and then started to take off their clothes and roll around on the bed. Their fully naked bodies tangled together. It was very stimting to the viewer.


    And then, in subsequent scenes, there were different actors and actresses featuring almost the exact same screenys. Kate put her hand to her mouth and rushed to the bathroom.


    After throwing up what was in her stomach, she sat on the floor. She looked at the bathroom nkly and could not get away from the world she had just seen. It was a world full of dirty and filthy things.


    There was a familiar voice in those videos. And there were two voices that she didn¡¯t know. They talked about trades, sometimes vaguely, sometimes tantly.


    And in the NC-17 rated videos, the bloated lead actor, after putting back his clothes and sses, went back to be a conscientious civil servant.


    Parasite, vampire. She squeezed the words from her teeth.


    And the man was ying a role no less disgraceful and outrageous in the scenes.


    Familiar music came from some distance and pulled her back to reality.


    She put her hand on the toilet to support her up and then went back to the video room. It was her cell phone ringing.


    She suddenly got nervous. Tristan called at irregr intervals every day to check on her. He was on a business trip and would spend a few hours on the ne. So she took the excuse of going to have a facial at the beauty parlor toe here.


    She drew a long breath and took up the phone, and was rxed at the number on the screen.


    It was from Max.

 Chapter 116: What A Shame

    Max told her that the guys who wanted to get the house back ceased their request and left. And somebody had donated a sizable amount of money to the public schools in their town.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Max asked with concern, ¡°Kate, don¡¯t you think he is too powerful? It is in a different state. And the guys that found trouble are rumored to have an influence on the town government. Ed gave me the feeling that he was sort of a gangster when he saved mest time. Are they¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kate said, looking down at the box on the floor, ¡°They are not.¡±


    Max changed the subject; ¡°Mom said on the phone that there is a boy in our town who is helping his parents run a caf¨¦. His mother and ours used to hang out together. Mom knows their family very well. She said if you would like to go back home, she would like to introduce you to the boy. I had to tell her that you were busy with your studies now¡­¡±


    Kate smiled bitterly after hanging up the phone. It was a life so far away from her now. She could never go back to that kind of world again.


    Kate stared at the things on the floor. They represented a dirty and ugly past but probably would represent a dangerous and unpredictable future. She had stepped into this by choice.


    She took a heavy bag out and walked by the photo of the smiling woman. She stopped and said in a low voice to her, ¡°What would you do if you were me?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have done this, right?¡±


    The person in the photo just smiled.


    ¡°What a shame! We are different.¡±


    Kate entered from the back door of the beauty parlor. Her ssmate who had experienced the fight with her hade to help today. She had enjoyed the facial and other services avable for hours on her behalf. They switched identities and left when Tristan called.


    She rubbed her sore shoulders and said, ¡°A facial and a massage¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, have fun. I will do it for you with my expertise in this field when I get back¡­¡± As Tristan talked, heated air seemed to transmit from the other end of the phone.


    She could imagine his vague smile on the other side of the phone. His breath was blowing on her ear. She had just gone through another cold and cruel experience, and now the conversation was more torture for her.


    Only after he heard the m of the car door and another person¡¯s voice did he want to end the conversation. He asked if she had anything else to say.


    She did have questions. Why was the password her birthday? Was it a coincidence or on purpose? Why did he let her know everything so easily? Why had she met him and get involved in this?


    And she also wanted to ask why he was not a good guy? Why was he cruel, evil, and merciless, while he could touch the softest parts of her? Why were his evil measures used to rescue her family?


    In her world, there was only good and bad, white and ck. There weren¡¯t so many whys. Kate had been silly, but she lived at ease. But since she had known Tristan, she had had to bend her principles and blur the boundaries and colors.


    Now it was not just a vague boundary. It was totally overthrown.


    When Kate woke up in the morning, she found the man who was supposed toe back in the evening was deep in sleep beside her. She was surprised when he came to bed, and she didn¡¯t know at all. It was horrible.


    The next moment, her attention was drawn to a new thing on his face- the stubble on his strong chin. He always cared so much for his appearance. It was the first time she had seen this on him. Was it because of too much hormone?


    The ding of the rm o¡¯clock broke her meditation, and she reached for the clock at the nightstand immediately. He usually got up at six, and she did at seven. Kate got off the bed quietly.


    After cleaning up, she had a cup of honey water and went outside to stretch her legs. She did some simple exercises.


    She had had too many emotional ups and downstely, and her sleeping and eating had been influenced too. She didn¡¯t want this to affect the baby inside her. It was the only oasis in her world of the desert.


    As she was working out, she heard the phone in the living room ring. She went to answer it. It was from the sanatorium. The nurse said, ¡°Aunty is missing thedy with dimples¡­¡± Before the nurse could finish, Tristan¡¯s mother grabbed the phone, ¡°Could youe to see me?¡± She asked shyly.


    An old woman sounded like a little kid. It made Kate¡¯s heart soften. She agreed immediately.

 Chapter 117: Do You Know His Name?

    After she got back to the bedroom, Tristan was sleeping soundly. Kate left a note on the stand and changed her clothes. She called the driver to get the car ready.


    Tristan¡¯s mother did not look as spiritual as thest time she saw her. Her cheeks were a little hollow.


    The nurse exined that she had the flutely and just recovered a couple of days ago.


    Kate asked, ¡°Does he know?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Fox came to see her twice. Aunty asked about you, but he told her that you could not risk being infected.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother said gloomily, ¡°I am fine now. It is too stuffy here. I want to go out.¡±


    After getting permission from the nurse, the olddy dragged Kate to help her pick clothes from the wardrobe and got dressed up cheerfully.


    Kate asked the driver to take them to a pedestrian street where there were restaurants, caf¨¦s, and boutiques.


    The two of them sat at a table by the window and watched people walking past in a hurry. They were enjoying tea and delicate Chinese dim sum.


    Watching the olddy struggling to transport a beef ball to her mouth with chopsticks, she understood why Tristan¡¯s mother liked her. And she could not reject her friendship. They were alike.


    Thinking of Tristan, who was probably still in bed, and the things she had found in his apartment, Kate sighed and concluded that it was not so bad for her mother to change to what she was now.


    It was only he who had be lonelier.


    Tristan had lost the two women most important to him in his life. The two people who could have a good influence on him. So he walked farther and farther away on that road.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Tristan¡¯s mother asked.


    Kate had an illusion for a moment that the person in front of her had resumed her senses, but looking at her eyes again, she knew it was not true.


    She smiled and said, ¡°I am thinking about where we should go to have fun after this.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother finished the food on her te hastily and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Kate had been in this city for four years, but she knew little about ces to have fun. Today she had specialpany and felt the impulse to have fun too.


    They shopped in the boutiques, and soon Kate had several bags in her hand. Tristan¡¯s mother had a cotton candy bar in her hand and smiled cheerfully.


    They passed a photo studio and were attracted by the decoration outside. There were a few ck and white artistic photos hung on the brick wall. The nostalgic door had a bell, and when one pushed the door, the bell rang.


    The inside decoration was also antique, and even the camera was the kind from fifty years ago, with a cloth covering the photographic te. The scenery and props and even a wooden horse rocking chair were the same as she had seen in the old movies.


    The photographer asked the women what kind of theme they want to have. Tristan¡¯s mother said they had to wait for the gentleman she sawst time. Kate had to call Tristan.


    The olddy touched everything in the shop with curiosity and called Kate, ¡°Kate,e to see this¡­¡±


    Kate was surprised, ¡°You remember my name?¡±


    She nodded.


    They waited for half an hour, and through the window, they saw someone walking close. Tristan wore a ck coat over a white shirt, looking more casual and genial than he usually was. After a good night¡¯s sleep, he was spiritual again.


    Kate asked Tristan¡¯s mother, ¡°Do you know his name?¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother looked at him bewilderedly.


    The bell dinged, and the door was opened. Kate told her in a low voice, ¡°His name is Tristan.¡±


    ¡°Tristan.¡± The olddy repeated.


    Tristan just walked in to hear her calling. He paused, and happiness shed in his eyes. Complicated emotions surged up and faded away.


    He walked to his mother and hugged her, ¡°Mom.¡±


    His mother was ufortable with his tight hug and looked to Kate for help.


    Kate had tears in her eyes and nodded and smiled at her.


    The olddy felt assured and raised her hand to hug and pat the back of the big guy.


    The photographer said, ¡°I thought you were mother and daughter. It is rare for mother-inw and daughter-inw to be best friends.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    The two people embracing seemed not to hear what he said.


    When Tristan released his mother, the photographer asked if they were ready.


    The assistant pulled out a scenery board of beach and coconut trees and then moved an outdoor bench to ce in front of it. The three sat on the bench and were ordered by the photographer to move their heads and hands and make their expressions more natural.


    Kate was amused by Tristan¡¯s awkward expression when the photographer ordered him to smile more naturally.


    The photographer had already put his head under the cloth and shouted, ¡°One, two, say cheese.¡±


    Her hand was grabbed when the photographer shouted two.


    A sudden sh was apanied by smoke, and they got the shot.

 Chapter 118: Thank You For Today

    ¡°The photo will be ready in 3 days, framed. Leave your address with our assistant, and we will deliver it to you.¡± The photographer instructed them. But Tristan¡¯s mother wanted to have the photo immediately.


    The assistant came with a digital camera and took another one for them, printed it out, and gave it to Tristan¡¯s mother. The photographer shrugged and smiled helplessly.


    ¡°Customer satisfaction. Slow or fast, as you like.¡± The assistant stuck her tongue out at the photographer.


    Tristan¡¯s mother took the photo and pointed to it, ¡°Kate, Tristan¡­¡±


    Kate took a nce at it and found it looked like a family portrait. Everyone looked good in the photo. It was quite harmonious.


    After they left the photo studio, Tristan checked his watch and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to have lunch. I haven¡¯t had breakfast today.¡±


    He turned to his mother, ¡°Mom, what do you want to eat?¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother said, ¡°Pizza.¡±


    That was probably what she always had in the sanatorium, Kate thought. ¡°How about we go home and make it ourselves?¡±


    Thinking of the mother spending all the year in the sanatorium and eating the cafeteria food, Kate felt sorry for her. Having a meal of homemade food would be much better than any food they could buy in the fancy restaurants Tristan usually frequented.


    They called Laura and checked what materials she had at home, and then went to the supermarket to buy the other ingredients they needed. Tristan¡¯s mother was excited at the variety of products. She wandered around the aisles and loaded the cart with a lot of things with colorful packaging.


    When they arrived at the vi, it was already midnight. Laura had asked Tristan¡¯s permission this morning to leave early today, so she told Kate where the materials were and left the kitchen to them.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Kate went into the kitchen while Tristan stayed in the living room watching TV with his mother. After a while, he snuck into the kitchen, offering to help.


    Kate said, ¡°There is nothing you can do here. Go stay with your mother.¡±


    He smirked and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look down on others.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then peel the garlic and chop the onions for me.¡±


    He worked on the assignment immediately. Kate started to prepare the dough and gave Tristan a quick nce from time to time to see if he had trouble cutting the onions.


    She saw him get a bowl with a lid ready by his side. After he washed the onion, he cut it into halves and then started to slice it. His action was so amazingly fast that he had finished slicing a half onion in just a few seconds.


    He collected the slices into the bowl and covered it with the lid. Then he started to slice the next half. As the onion slices stayed open in the air for only a short time, they didn¡¯t cause his tears.


    After he sliced them all, he put the bowl into the fridge to cool while he peeled the garlic. Ten minutester, he took the onions out and chopped them into small pieces.


    Kate was surprised that he knew about this trick. Cold onions do not give out a pungent smell.


    When Tristan had finished, the dough Kate made had rested for ten minutes. So he started to roll the dough into a circle. They cooperated very well as a team.


    Tristan¡¯s mother followed into the kitchen too. She picked fried bacon pieces from the te to feed the cat.


    Soon four courses, pizza, baked chicken, tomato bisque, and fruit sd, were ready. When they sat down at the table, the air felt like that of Christmas or Thanksgiving. Kate recalledst Christmas Eve when Tristan wasn¡¯t at home. And he had been talking business on Christmas Day.


    Their dinner was warm and cheerful until a little episode happened. Tristan¡¯s mother was eating a piece of pizza when she suddenly took another piece and put it into her pocket.


    They were astonished and said at the same time. ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Auntie.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s mother reached her hand to the pizza again, ¡°Charley likes this the most.¡±


    The fork in Tristan¡¯s hand dropped and made a clear sound when it collided with the te.


    Kate looked at him and saw him looking down at his te, and the muscles on his cheeks were moving.


    Tristan resumed hisposure in a few seconds and held his mother¡¯s hand, ¡°Mom. Don¡¯t.¡±


    His mother looked at him with disapproval, but after meeting his eyes, she had a little fear in her eyes. She stopped.


    Tristan took his mother to the sink to wash her hands and came back. The dinner continued, and his mother forgot what happened soon and focused on her te.


    When it was gettingte, Tristan wanted to send his mother back to the sanatorium. His mother showed some reluctance, and Kate felt for her.


    This was her real home. Tristan exined, ¡°Mom has some other health problems. It is safer to stay in the sanatorium where medical facilities are avable. Besides, the nurse can take care of her at night.¡±


    He promised his mother they would take her here next weekend.


    Before they left, the olddy grabbed Kate¡¯s wrist and frowned.


    Kate came to understand her and said, ¡°I put it away because I worry I might break it carelessly.¡±


    The olddy did not release her but mped her wrist tighter. Her fingers set into her muscle, and it hurt.


    Tristan stood there without moving.


    Kate had to say, ¡°Okay, I will go get it.¡±


    She went upstairs and brought back the bracelet and put it on in the presence of Tristan¡¯s mother. The olddy smiled happily and went out with her son.


    When Tristan got back, he said earnestly to Kate, ¡°Thank you for today.¡±


    The air became strange again when they were left alone. Kate said, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Whatever. As long as she is happy, I appreciate it.¡±

 Chapter 119: Boss Disappeared

    Early the next morning, when Tristan had just got up, his cell phone vibrated.


    He got it and frowned when he saw the number. He pressed the button and walked to the door, buttoning his shirt at the same time. But he stopped halfway.


    Kate had been awake when the phone vibrated on their nightstand. She opened her eyes and saw Tristan standing still in the middle of the room. He looked stiff. ¡°What is it?¡±


    After keeping quiet for a few seconds, he turned back to her mechanically and looked at her. ¡°My mom is gone.¡±


    Gone? Where?


    He repeated, ¡°My mom passed awayst night. Cerebral infarction.¡±


    He only button the top two buttons of his shirt, and his abs were visible. His face was expressionless, and he seemed to be in a daze. He went back to the bed and sat down at the corner.


    His shoulders drooped, and his arms hung by his side spiritless. He looked like a silent sculpture.


    It took Kate quite some time to digest this news. She lifted up the nket and moved to his side of the bed slowly. She touched his arm identally and was startled by the hardness of the muscle. She looked down to find that under his palm, the sheets were wrung into a ball.


    She covered his hand with hers and asked softly, ¡°Do you want me to go with you?¡±


    She heard him heave a sigh a few secondster, and he agreed in a low voice.


    Before they set off, Kate put the bracelet on. She thought of the olddy¡¯s persistence yesterday, and tears came to her eyes.


    In the colorful room, Kate saw the olddy for thest time.


    She looked peaceful as if she was just sleeping.


    Kate felt both sad and helpless. Life was so fragile and unpredictable.


    She caught sight of the pizza in a transparent stic container, and she could not hold her tears. Tristan, by contrast, was calm the whole time. Only the people who knew him well could see that air of sadness surrounded him.


    Kate didn¡¯t attend the following events. Tristan had somebody send her back after she stayed for one hour. In the evening, he called and said he would not be back and asked her to get some rest.


    It was four dayster that she received more information.


    Ed, who she had not seen for a long time, asked anxiously, ¡°Is Boss at home?¡±


    Kate told him no.


    ¡°Did he call these past two days?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Boss disappeared.¡±


    Tristan stayed a day with his mother, and the next day her body was cremated. Ed and the crew went together and sent the ashes to be buried in the same ce as his father. On the way back, Tristan wanted to go alone.


    They thought he needed to have some space and left him. However, a few hourster, when they called him again, his phone was off. His secretary said he hadn¡¯t shown up at thepany these past few days.


    Tristan was a difficult person to understand, and the loss of contact under this situation made them worried. Ed was fretting, ¡°I am worried that was more than he can take. He took it too hard.¡±


    The scene of Tristan sitting on the bed with his hands wringing the sheet shed in Kate¡¯s mind, but she said, ¡°No. He should be okay.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that the time when his wife passed away, Boss was driven by an impulse to kill¡­¡± Ed stopped in time and sighed, ¡°And it is his mother this time.¡±


    Kate seemed not to hear the word he slipped out of his tongue by ident and muttered, ¡°He won¡¯t do anything stupid. He is a person with a sense and strong will¡­¡±


    The sun was sinking into the sea inch by inch, and the strong and sensible man was sitting in a car.


    The window of the car was slid down thoroughly, and the cold and hard sea wind blew in and hit Tristan¡¯s face mercilessly. He seemed not to feel it. The cor of his coat was pulled up to resist some of the cold.


    A row of beer cans stood on the dashboard. Every can was squeezed to an odd shape.


    He fumbled in his pocket, but the pack of cigarettes he got out was empty.


    He yed with the lighter, flipping it on and watching the me, and then turned it off. After some time, he got tired of this game and threw the lighter out of the window. It dropped into the sea and made a small sound when it hit the water.


    He started the car, and the wheel of the limousine ground the gravel below and made loud noises. The noise stimted his nerves and also gave him a feeling of self-abuse.


    He got on the coastal highway and smashed the gas pedal. The car shot forward. Every man has some crazy genes. All the restraint and self-control were just suppressed temporarily and would explode when the time came.


    Tristan turned the radio to the maximum volume, and the sound of the piano filled up the air inside the car and crashed into his ears. The music carried fury as well as sorrow.


    What flew in his blood vessels was not blood anymore. It was roaring water.


    Nothing could stop him. The car was at top speed until he heard a thud.

 Chapter 120: Give Me A Home

    The car bumped into a stone column, which marked the boundary of privatend. The head of the car was arched inward, and the headlight on the left was broken.


    The forceful and sonorous music was still on.


    Tristan put his head on the steering wheel for a long time without moving.


    After he didn¡¯t know how long, he heard police sirens.


    It was dark in the night, and neither her cell phone nor the phone in the living room had ever rung. Kate was haunted by anxiety and bad presentiment, but she could do nothing. Finally, she had to go to bed. She fell asleep in exhaustion only after the day started to break.


    She didn¡¯t know how long she had slept when she was woken up by thunderbolts. It was dark outside, and heavy rain pounded on the windows.


    She wondered if the sky also felt sad.


    She grabbed her cell phone, and there wasn¡¯t any message. And the time showed 21:00. She slept for a whole day!


    The rain outside made it feel quieter inside the house.


    And it also made it lonely.


    Kate walked out of the bedroom. When she passed the study, she was suddenly alert. She seemed to detect the smell of smoke and heard something from the door.


    She pushed the door open. It was pitch dark inside, but the smoke smell was heavy. There seemed to be a shadow by the couch, and a spark flickered.


    She put one hand to her mouth and waved away the smoke. She pushed the door wide open and reached for the switch of the lights when she heard someone say, ¡°Don¡¯t turn the lights on.¡±


    The voice was husky and a little unfamiliar.


    Kate stood by the door, not knowing if she should walk in or retreat. Then she heard him say, ¡°Come here.¡±


    It was ordered as usual, but it sounded less like an order than like pleading.


    She walked over, and as soon as she got close, she was grabbed by the wrist. She was pulled forward, and forceful arms grasped her waist. His face leaned against her belly, tyrannically but also reliantly.


    ¡°I have no home now.¡± Smoke and alcohol had made his voice harsh and aged. The tone was desperate. ¡°Give me a home.¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart seized.


    Not hearing an answer for quite a long pause, Tristan raised his face and called, ¡°Kate¡­¡±


    She finally found her voice, ¡°Don¡¯t smoke anymore. It is bad for your health.¡±


    He extinguished his cigarette and flipped away from the ashes on hisp. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t smoke.¡±


    And he leaned his face against her belly again.


    She had seen many sides of him, cruel and cold at the very beginning, gentle and hypocritical the second time they met, indifferent and unpredictable very often. And this time, it was the first time she saw him as fragile and helpless as a child.


    ¡°Where had you been these past two days?¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t reply.


    As she no longer expected him to answer, he said in a low voice, ¡°Nowhere. I just stayed in the car for two days¡­¡±


    And he had been to the police station once, and after being recognized, he was almost sent to the hospital.


    Kate thought of words her grandmother had always said. One has a family at 70 years old and a mom at 80 years old. She didn¡¯t understand it until she saw her taciturn father howl when her grandmother had died. She didn¡¯t know how tofort her father.


    The sorrow couldn¡¯t be talked away. Only time could pacify and dilute it.


    Kate¡¯s hand sought Tristan¡¯s head and stroked his hair, which was softer than usual. Shebed it with her fingers and said, ¡°You might feel better if you cry.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°Can¡¯t cry.¡±


    To prove he was telling the truth, he led her fingers to the corners of his eyes, and it was dry, without any moisture.


    Then he took her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it softly.


    Then he felt that the kiss wasn¡¯t enough. So he pulled her to sit on his legs, and his mouth sought her lips.


    His kiss carried the smell of alcohol and cigarettes, and with heat and tyranny. What scared Kate most was his face with messy and scratchy stubble. She reached her hand to touch his chin and found it stung.


    Her hand lingered there for a while, as it was unfamiliar.


    Suddenly the room was lit up by lightning that crashed across the window. And a series of thunderbolts followed. The sky looked like it was being torn into two.


    Kate jerked out of fear and clung to Tristan¡¯s waist out of instinct.


    And it was like she had pressed some critical button on a machine or as if she lit up a pile of dry logs.


    The body she clung to jerked back, and then all of a sudden, she was pressed down on the couch, apanied by a cry.


    The man on top of her wasn¡¯t a man anymore. He was a leopard who had just lost its parents and had nowhere to vent its sorrow. Its eyes were dark and shining a little red.


    She was the prey under its ws.


    After a short moment of stalemate, he didn¡¯t reach his teeth to her throat. Instead, his fingers went through the clothes, followed the route he was familiar with into her body.


    It was rude and a little painful.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Strangely, after a short moment of panic, she didn¡¯t resist much. She spread her legs wider slightly to reduce the pain for herself or obstacles for him. Probably subconsciously, she also needed to vent her feelings, and there was no other way except these most primitive means.

 Chapter 121: You Have To Beg Me If You Want It

    Lightning came across the window from time to time and lit up Kate¡¯s face.


    Tristan looked directly into her eyes and observed the tiny changes in her expression.


    His slender fingers were ying a solo inside her body. A song without sound but with a unique melody was manifested through her breathing.


    It was sometimes slower, sometimes faster, sometimes lighter, and sometimes heavier.


    As the beats became longer and higher, there was moaning about apanying it. Something changed subtly inside her body. It became smooth as his fingers went in and out, and it also soothed his irritated heart.


    Being separated from each other for so long, their bodies were each attracted by the scent of the other. With slight touches, the mes lit up fiercely.


    Kate honestly responded to his motion. The tips of her nerves caught the stimtion and responded to it. A surge overwhelmed Tristan¡¯s consciousness and pushed other thoughts out of his mind.


    When the melody came to a high point, Kate arched her body, lifted her chin as if she were trying to get closer to him as well as get away from him. Her hands mped his arms unconsciously, and her fingers set into his skin.


    When it came to an end, his fingers took a deep dive. And her hand let go of his arms, and her body sprang back to the couch. Her part that wrapped his fingers jerked and trembled, and streams flew out like the ripples spreading in ake.


    They were both panting, echoing each other.


    Kate realized until now that she was not just venting feelings, she also could not resist. After being stimted, her body came to its memory, longing to be filled and touched.


    In a daze, she felt she was lifted and put down. It was soft under her body. Her fingers touched the long fur of the carpet.


    Her clothes were stripped, and her chest felt a little cold. Then she felt the warmth. His lips fell, together with the stubble. The unfamiliar touch made her skin tremble inch by inch.


    It was a little painful and itchy.


    His hand covered her breast and kneaded savagely, with strength as if he almost wanted to break it. She took a long breath from the pain.


    His lips moved down slowly. When he reached the hignd, his tongue seemed like it was measuring the territory and also worshipping something.


    Her legs felt the cold when her pants were stripped, she closed her legs, but his action was faster. He lifted her knees and spread her legs to an extreme wide-angle. Without the cover of darkness, she would have fought against this posture.


    A warm and itchy feeling came to the inner sides of her legs. This was her most sensitive part. She gave a suppressed groan. She felt his kisses moved, slowing to the center. She reached her hand to push him away, but she only touched his thick hair.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    She pleaded, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Her voice was sticky and sounded more like an invitation.


    The rain was pouring down from the sky outside the window, and it seemed it was going to drown the whole world.


    When the bizarre and moist thing invaded thestnd, she screamed without making a sound. All she could do was to breathe heavily.


    It was beyond the limit of what she could bear, physically or mentally. Her fragile nerves broke at this heavy impact, and she cried helplessly.


    Her cry was covered by the sound of the rain.


    Tristan was doing his job, ignoring her crying, but his motion was interrupted from time to time. She was thrown into ecstasy, and he suddenly moved away.


    He could not hold himself and started to loosen his belt.


    The burning and hard feeling brought back her senses, ¡°Oh¡­no¡­the baby¡­¡±


    He was breathless, ¡°Four months and seven days, can get in a little bit more¡­¡±


    She wanted to cuss, but it was reced with a cry. The spearhead had already entered.


    Without any experience for months, the slight motion was enough to arouse shivers all over her body.


    The next second, the troops retreated and lingered at the entrance, swirling evilly. She moved, and the root of her legs touched him. He became harder and more erect. It knocked at her one by one.


    ¡°Want it?¡± He asked.


    She bit her lip and didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°You have to beg me if you want it.¡±


    She¡¯d rather die.


    He lingered for a moment and explored suddenly. Fortunately, he still had a shred of sense and stopped in the middle. Then he started to move.


    The motion wasn¡¯t very big but enough for them to hold their breath and focus on it. They both moaned and were soon all sweaty.


    Then he slowed down the rhythm purposely, and his cold metal belt head hit on her hip, again and again. It hurt a little, but they both ignored it.


    At the wildest point, he lifted her hips to the air, but he didn¡¯t press him against her. He just kneaded her violently as if he wanted to ground her to pieces.


    It was familiar to her. Like being ground by a heavy truck, her nerves were ttened, and the twisted feeling between them disappeared.


    Kate¡¯s eyes adapted to the darkness now. She saw the shadows of the facilities of the room. The shelf on the wall seemed to shake to her, and the books on it seemed to fall down and bury her. She felt the sky was swirling, and her head was dizzy, but for some point in her body, she had a distinct feeling.

 Chapter 122: Are You Cold?

    After it ended, theyy on the carpet panting.


    They were both waiting for the shock, which was different from previous times and was from inside to outside, to fade away. Tristan leaned against her back and asked gently, ¡°Are you cold?¡±


    Kate¡¯s only reply was the slight shivering of her body.


    He took off his half wet shirt to cover her and fumbled for the remote to adjust the temperature higher. The bedroom was not far away, but they didn¡¯t want to move or forgot about it.


    Kate slept for a whole day. Though she was tired, she was sobered and sobered in the dark. And she knew the person beside her felt the same.


    When the climax faded away, and the temporarily forgotten subject came back, the joy was diluted by the sorrow umted little by little. It became a cloud hovering above both of them.


    She heard Tristan ask in an even huskier voice, ¡°Do you believe there is heaven?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure, but I think the good men would go to a ce that is not too bad.¡±


    He said sarcastically, ¡°That sounds good. My mom did nothing bad except for giving birth to a son.¡±


    Then he said again after a short pause, ¡°My father is a good man too, but he died when I was thirteen.¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart missed a beat.


    Thirteen?


    What age was that? Junior high school?


    When she got back from school, her father always received her on the porch. Though their family was poor, it wasplete. She was simple and satisfied as a child and a teenager.


    The sound of the rain outside was lower than before like somebody weeping.


    The air inside was damp and sticky. It gave people the desire to talk.


    Tristan sat up and reached for a cigarette. After he put a cigarette to his mouth and lit it, he thought of her and stubbed it out immediately.


    She said, ¡°Smoke if you want to.¡±


    He felt warm inside, but he threw the cigarette and lighter away anyway.


    After some time, he started again, ¡°My dad didn¡¯t die of illness or an ident. He was murdered.¡±


    ¡°By his teammate in the army. The one who he trusted most and went through life and death with.¡±


    ¡°Just for money.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t just murder him, but also tried to kill my mom and me, to remove future trouble by setting our house on fire.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    His words, each sentence more shocking than thest, were as calm as if he were talking about another person¡¯s story.


    Kate was so shocked that she sat up, wrapping his shirt.


    She saw his naked back shining in the dark.


    They were just inches away from each other, but it felt like a great distance.


    At this moment, Tristan was living in his memory.


    She could see two muscles on his back move when he spoke.


    ¡°For a long time, I couldn¡¯t understand what kind of temptation could make a person ignore the brotherhood and even lose the basic humanity.¡±


    ¡°Until one day when I had to do something I didn¡¯t want to in order to make enough money to change my life. I realized there was a thing that could erode a person¡¯s heart and change a person into a demon.¡±


    His voice turned from cold to sarcasm as he talked.


    Kate¡¯s heart jumped. Was he admitting that he did something illegal?


    Then she heard him chucked and said in a low voice, ¡°Tell you a secret¡­¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart shrank again. She was not sure if she wanted to hear it, but his voice continued and what he said surprised her.


    ¡°The face I have now is not what I was born with.¡±


    He turned slowly to see her. Even though there was no light, he could still see the water in her eyes and could imagine how shocked her pure eyes were.


    He turned back and continued, ¡°The cost of the fire my mom and I escaped was half of my face.¡±


    ¡°I had a face that could scare a child to tears for years. In that period, I was cynical and full of hatred. I thought good men were bound to be victims. I wanted to be a bad guy because they could do whatever they wanted. There were no rules or restrictions on their behaviors. They could take revenge however they wanted.¡±


    He stopped and put his hand behind him to support the floor and raised his head.


    Kate saw it was shining at the corners of his eyes. He wasn¡¯t as calm as his tone made him seem.


    The shiny thing was flowing, and it seemed to be flowing to her heart too. She asked softly, ¡°Then, did you take revenge?¡±


    Tristan kept silent for a while and then said, ¡°I have taken half.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t understand the concept of the half, but seeing he was not willing to exin further, she didn¡¯t ask again. After a while, she thought of something, ¡°Is this what you meant when you said ¡®too many things in your heart¡¯?¡±


    He recalled where the words came from and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I thought the reason why I neglected my wife Julia was because all my thoughts were about revenge. Butter, I realized that it was more than that.¡±

 Chapter 123: Everything Has A Cost

    Tristan had been too young, he felt frustrated upon failures and excited upon challenges, and had more ambition when he met with little sess. Besides revenge, he wanted to fulfill his dreams as most young men did and longed to do something in his career, desired riches, and power.


    He sighed, ¡°Driven by more and more desires, I lost myself in the new roles I yed. I lost bnce in various options presented to me.¡±


    ¡°Does this sound boring to you?¡±


    Kate was absorbed by his story, and she shook her head. Though she had never imagined something like this, she could understand. A man that was smart and aggressive would not be satisfied with an ordinary life without achievement.


    However, she was more concerned about another problem, ¡°Then, the remaining half of it, do you want to proceed?¡±


    Tristan seemed to be surprised at her question, but he soon let it go. She was always like that. One might think she was stupid, but she had something she cared about. She followed her own track of thoughts, and she didn¡¯t lose her mind in theplicated and chaotic situation.


    He always appreciated her style of wisdom.


    However, he hesitated for a while on this question. He replied, ¡°Everything, once started, has to have its ending.¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart sank.


    She realized that the expectation was in her heart without her knowing it. ¡°If it has a cost¡­¡± She sounded him out.


    ¡°Everything has a cost.¡±


    She didn¡¯t give up, ¡°If that would hurt others¡­¡±


    ¡°Who are the others you refer to?¡±


    Kate looked down in the dark.


    Tristan took her hand from her knee and held it, ¡°I told you this is because of the mistakes I have made, as I have realized them now, I will not repeat them.


    ¡°I will assess and consider everything before I make a decision. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    The temperature of his palm made Kate feel at ease. He was sincere and frank in his words. That made her moved, but she was still worried.


    Tristan still could not let it go.


    Personalities decided one¡¯s fate. She thought of this saying.


    The heavy conversation was interrupted by a grumble in his stomach.


    ¡°I will go prepare some food for you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t release her hand but held it tighter. She asked, ¡°How long since youst ate anything?¡±


    Tristan thought about it and said, ¡°Thest time I ate was two days ago.¡±


    He let her hand go when hearing she sniffed.


    Kate took out a piece of beef from the refrigerator and started to cut it, then chopped it into meat paste. After frying the meat paste with sauce and onions in a pan, she used sliced bacon to wrap the meat and lettuce and made some meat rolls. And then she put them over to roast.


    While she was waiting for the meat rolls to be ready, she thought of thest time she cooked, when Tristan¡¯s mother came here. And the time beforest was a long time ago, probably more than one year ago.


    She looked at her palms. She used to have calluses at the roots of her fingers, and now they were gone. Now her hands were soft and her fingers slender; the nails shiny and in perfect shape. She touched the tender skin on the back of her hands.


    Her hands had be expensive.


    What had be expensive were not just her hands.


    She had got used to an expensive life, not worrying about quality food and daily necessities.


    This was something she resisted, as she had resisted Tristan. However, it had prated into her life without her realizing it. Until sometime when she forgot her intention to resist and epted it like the drynd epts the rain.


    The ding of the oven brought her thought back, and she got the te out of the oven and put another te of potato in.


    Tristan had finished the shower and changed into clean clothes. He followed the smell into the kitchen.


    She had finished cooking and was wiping the counter. She saw him and brought the two tes and followed him to the dining hall.


    After he sat down, she got him a cup of water. ¡°Not sure if you like them. Just get by with them. Tomorrow Laura will be back.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t say anything. The meat rolls were juicy and yummy. And he dipped the potato wedges in the remaining juice of the meat rolls. They all tasted wonderful to him. His stomach, which had been abused for the past few days, felt warm and satisfied.


    ¡°Do you want to turn on your cell phone? Ed and your secretary are all looking for you.¡±


    He took his time enjoying the food and looked out the window. It was still dark outside, and the rain had turned to drizzle. It was warm, safe, and peaceful inside. This kind of asion was luxurious to him.


    He said, ¡°I will call them in the morning.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

 Chapter 124: Is It Done?

    It was getting colder each day.


    The rain that hadsted for several days pushed the city to be windier in the meantime.


    Owen put down his suitcase and went upstairs to the study. He knocked at the door and heard a low reply inside. He pushed the door and went in.


    The study was big and the most luxurious room in the house. To say it was luxurious was not just because of the decoration of the room, but also the shelf with the collection of his father¡¯s whole life.


    Owen¡¯s father stood by the window. He was in his sixties, still strong and spirited. He had not one single silver hair. Now he stood with his hands behind his back, and he seemed to be in a slight sorrow.


    ¡°Is it done?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just came back. The surgery went well. You don¡¯t have to worry now.¡±


    Every family had their problem. His sister Ruth had a congenital spinal disease and has suffered from it since childhood. This time somebody rmended a world expert, and she had the surgery again.


    Owen sighed and said, ¡°Okay. I can tell your mother when I see her above there.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­Why did you say that? How was your physical examination?¡±


    ¡°I am alright. But who knows what could happen in the future? I have quite a few friends who have gone these years.¡±


    Owen didn¡¯t know why his father had suddenly be so pessimistic. He scanned around and saw a ck and white photo on his desk. It was a photo of four young men, wearing army uniforms and smiling brightly.


    ¡°You are looking at it again.¡±


    ¡°Today is the death anniversary of your uncle David.¡±


    Owen curled his lips down, ¡°He died of an unnatural cause.¡± He didn¡¯t have much of a good impression of this rich uncle. He had made money by foul means and was murdered in his luxurious house. The killer had not yet been found so far.


    Owen¡¯s father sighed and said, ¡°He was gone anyway. Of the four of us, now only two are alive. Last night I dreamed of us fighting in the jungles of Vietnam¡­¡±


    Recalling the time of war and staring at the photo of the youthful and innocent faces, he was overwhelmed by mixed emotions. He turned his head and saw his son was still lingering there. He asked, ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Dad, I want to get married to Jessica.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± his father raised his eyebrows, ¡°She agreed?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I hope you can talk with Mr. Harderson.¡±


    ¡°Jessica is not the kind of girl that would follow her parents¡¯ order. You have been waiting for her for so many years. Why have you suddenly lost patience?¡±


    Owen frowned. Jessie had somebody else in her heart before. Now that person broke up with her for good, but she still showed no sign of epting him.


    Life is short. He didn¡¯t want to wait if waiting was hopeless.


    His father knew him very well. Owen¡¯s father thought for a while and said, ¡°Okay. I will bring it up with Donald when I get the chance, but this kind of thing depends much more on you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Speaking of chance, the chance was here.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Owen¡¯s loyalty made him know that Jessie was ill for the first time. Acute cecitis, not a very serious disease, but serious enough to deprive the patient of their ability to take care of herself.


    Jessie was lying on the hospital bed, looking at the man busy with this and that. His clothes were wrinkled, and exhaustion was on his face. He was so different from the sleek guy he used to be. She could not help asking, ¡°I treated you so badly. You don¡¯t hate me?¡±


    Owen grimaced, ¡°There are two things I am not capable of in my life. One is hating you¡­¡±


    ¡°And the other one is?¡±


    ¡°¡­not loving you.¡±


    Jessie could not say a word.


    ¡°Okay. I will not bother you with this. What is most important is that you recover. I will bring you soupter.¡±


    He walked out of the room. His back lookednky and lonely. Jessie suddenly felt sorry for him.


    Owen had been by her side since they were teenagers. She changed boyfriends from time to time, but he was always alone. Some of their ssmates even made fun of his sexual orientation.


    She ignored him habitually, but when it came time she was ignored by a person, she realized how precious hispany was.


    She called to stop him, ¡°Owen! Will you give me some time?¡±


    The man looked back in surprise. He nodded, ¡°All I have is time. A lifetime.¡±


    The table in this deluxe ward was loaded with fruit baskets, bouquets, and all kinds of gifts. Tristan also had somebody send a giant fruit basket and a card. Jessie took a look at it with a thrilling heart for a few seconds, but then her heart turned cold.


    He didn¡¯t even want to see her.


    The rtions between them were one-sided from the beginning to the end.


    He always kept a distance and never really loved her, even for a second.


    She felt lucky that she had Owen after all. If she epted Owen, she would not be too much of a loser in her life.


    Jessie didn¡¯t know the person she bore a grudge against was in the pain of losing his mother.


    Kate and Tristan nned to visit the cemetery again. Kate bought some colorful plush toy animals, balloons, storybooks, and flowers.


    All the things piled up in the corner of the room and made it look like a child¡¯s room. Tristan was moved as well as amused, ¡°Did she receive all of these?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you can believe it.¡± She was folding paper cranes with some small pieces of colored paper. Tristan sat down by her on the floor and folded one clumsily following what she did.


    One weekter, Jessie was discharged from the hospital. Owen still went to her apartment every day and cooked for her.


    It was incredible that a man brought up in that kind of wealthy family could cook pretty well and also made the food nutritious and healthy. Would he make a good husband?


    After they ate, Owen went to wash dishes and clean the kitchen like a diligent housewife. One evening, after everything was done and he was about to leave, it was raining outside. Jessie drew her attention from the window and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    And they slept on the same bed naturally.


    Oweny beside her politely and gave a light sigh. It seemed this had already given him satisfaction. It made Jessie feel sympathetic for him.


    After midnight, there was lightning and thunderbolts. Jessie moved closer to him and leaned against him. He smiled and asked, ¡°You are afraid of this?¡±


    ¡°I was afraid of it when I was a child.¡± Her mother had died when she was small, and her father always traveled on business. There was only her and her nanny. She slept with her nanny on rainy days, but her snoring disturbed her.


    She had always been alone after she grew up. Now that there was somebody by her side, she realized that she was an ordinary woman longing for the arms of a man. When the man got into her body under cover of the sound of the rainstorm, tears came to her eyes.


    She thought of another man. What was he doing?


    Probably hugging another woman andforting her, and doing the same thing.

 Chapter 125: Was It A Blessing Or A Disaster For Her?

    A few dayster, the rain finally stopped. The sun in the deep autumn was pleasant. It removed some of the advancing cold as well as the haze in people¡¯s hearts.


    Tristan shaved his stubble and said goodbye to his decadent image.


    Kate went out shopping as it was a sunny day.


    She walked into a baby products shop. She was attracted by the cute and colorful little shoes. She picked them up,pared them, and finally chose a pair of pink shoes. They were soft andfy, like toys.


    She put her fingers into the shoes and simted the feet walking on the counter, imagining small chubby feet inside the shoes. Sheughed to herself.


    Later, a pregnant woman with a huge belly walked in. She came to the shelf of shoes too. She looked at the ones on Kate¡¯s fingers and said, ¡°Those are nice.¡±


    Her voice alerted Kate. Kate turned to see her. Her face looked familiar, curly hair, with faint freckles on the cheeks and a pair of bright eyes that were a little in contradiction with her vulgar bulging body shape. Their eyes met, and the woman blinked at her.


    Kate drew her attention back to the shoes.


    The woman looked around the shelves and came back to where Kate stood, said with pity, ¡°This is thest pair.¡±


    Kate put the shoes in her hand down and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want them. You can have them.¡±


    And then she moved on to see other things.


    From the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of the pregnant woman, who took up the shoes and appreciated them, and then she put her fingers inside the shoes and took out a thing swiftly and shoved it into her pocket. Then she took the shoes to the cashier counter.


    Kate looked to the door subconsciously. Outside the ss door, Ed was looking elsewhere and making a call.


    She lingered in the shop, checking other things until the pregnant woman left the shop with her husband. She gave a sigh of relief and suddenly lost interest in the cute little things. In order not to arouse suspicion, she tried to cheer herself up and picked two shoes and went to pay for them.


    Tristan was about to go home after a day¡¯s work when he got a call unexpectedly.


    It was from Daisy, who he had not received information from for quite a long time.


    Since she had moved into that apartment, she went to work and behaved properly.


    Now she was lying in the tub, stirring the rose petals on the bathwater with one hand, and holding a phone in the other hand. ¡°I want to see you¡­If you don¡¯te, there will be a body here tomorrow.¡±


    The one on the other side of the phone didn¡¯t buy it and simply hung off without saying anything.


    She stared at the phone for a while and then texted him. Then I will have to call my sister. I don¡¯t think she could survive the impact based on her conditions now. And then she turned off the phone.


    Half an hourter, the doorbell rang. Wrapped with a towel, Daisy went to open the door. There stood an expressionless man at the door. It was his driver. The man passed the message briefly, ¡°Mr. Fox is downstairs.¡±


    She changed her clothes quickly and got downstairs. She saw his car, and when she got closer, she saw him making a call with a gentle expression. She bet he was calling her sister.


    When she opened the door and sat in, the gentleness faded away from his face, and he looked aloof, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Daisy said slowly, ¡°You used me.¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t make anyment but just waited.


    ¡°You must have seen through me when I stayed so many days with you. You knew my scheme, but you pretended you didn¡¯t know. You indulged me in going on in that way. You wanted to use me to stimte her. You were not in a good state, and you used me as a catalyst for your love. If I tell her this¡­¡±


    ¡°You can try,¡± Tristan said indifferently.


    ¡°You think I won¡¯t? Even if we fight and break off, we are still sisters. In her heart, you might not weigh more than I do. Besides, even without proof of what I say, it will leave some shadow in her heart¡­¡±


    Tristan interrupted her, ¡°She is your sister. And your scheme to do this against her?¡±


    ¡°I am not doing this against her.¡±


    ¡°So you are doing it against me? You are quite brave.¡±


    Daisy grumbled, ¡°I just see through your mind on her.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s expression changed in his eyes. He asked calmly, ¡°What do you want?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Daisy collected herself and said, ¡°I want to go to study in Europe.¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°You could have asked your sister to talk to me. If she doesn¡¯t agree, I will go with her decision. But the way you did this,¡± he stopped a second, ¡°jeopardized it. I can give you what you want, but I will not take this usation. Besides, I hate being ckmailed.¡±


    A few minutester, the car was gone, and Daisy was standing at the ce where the car was parked. The cold wind blew against her back, and she was in shock.


    She knew she didn¡¯t y, honestly. She was born in a family with limited resources. She had to fight for everything she wanted, from food to clothes and pocket money and even her parents¡¯ attention. She had got used to this kind of mode of thinking.


    The result mattered; the process and means didn¡¯t.


    However, she still felt scared after he left. This time it was not just some small tricks, it was trying to ckmail the devil. A cold nce of his eyes scared her to death. When she got upstairs, her heart was still jumping wildly.


    What kind of a man had Kate met?


    Was it a blessing or a disaster for her?

 Chapter 126: It Is Simple But Sweet

    The weather was getting colder each day. The city had officially entered into winter.


    The baby in Kate was five months old now. Now her bulging belly was pronounced, and she was wearing maternity clothes. Vomiting and other symptoms had disappeared as Kate¡¯s body absorbed the nutrition of all the food she took, and her weight was soaring.


    In contrast, her spirits were down. She always held a book in her hands while her thoughts were somewhere else.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    This evening, she was watching TV absent-mindedly. Tristan handed her a thick file.


    She looked up, puzzled, ¡°What is it?¡±


    He sat down beside her, ¡°Your sister came to me a few days ago. She said she wanted to study in Europe. This is all she needs, including a check¡­¡±


    Kate was shocked and then frowned, ¡°She went to see you? How could she do that?¡±


    Tristan nodded, ¡°It is not a big deal for me. I want to leave it up to you.¡±


    Kate gave him back the file decisively, ¡°No.¡±


    Tristan raised his eyebrows. ¡°Is it because you disapprove of her ways, or because you do not agree that she should study abroad, or that you don¡¯t want to owe me?¡±


    Kate had not analyzed her thoughts so thoroughly. She gave it a second thought and then said, ¡°She is trying to take a shortcut. It is dangerous to indulge her in this way. If she wants to study abroad, she has to work her own way about it.¡±


    Tristan chuckled, ¡°Do you want to hear my thoughts? She is your family. If she is in danger, will you stand by her? I know it doesn¡¯t work to indulge her, but it is worse to let her try and find some other shortcut rather than take this one, which is under our control. We can give her some heads-up at an appropriate time. That is what we can do to help.¡±


    Tristan put the file on the table as he said that. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make the decision now. You can keep these and think it over.¡±


    And then he held Kate¡¯s hand and pulled her up, ¡°We are done with this issue. Come with me.¡±


    Kate followed him upstairs with a heavy heart. They went to the end of the corridor, and he pushed the door open.


    She saw the dustless piano in the room. Tristan pulled up a chair for her to sit down, and then he sat on the stool in front of the piano and opened the lid.


    Kate was surprised, ¡°You can y the piano?¡±


    Tristan was amused, ¡°You think the piano is for Lucy?¡±


    Kate moved her lips. She thought of ¡°her.¡± He said she was talented. She covered it up by saying, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you y.¡±


    Tristan nodded and said half-seriously, ¡°I usually y once every other year.¡± And then he asked generously, ¡°What do you want to hear?¡±


    ¡°Can you y any songs?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but I can guess all that you know.¡±


    ¡°Then y a luby.¡±


    ¡°Uh, you got me. I haven¡¯t yed this before. Can you hum it? I want to learn it.¡±


    Kate wasn¡¯t shy this time. She cleared her throat and started to sing.


    Hush, little baby, don¡¯t say a word.


    Mama¡¯s gonna buy you a mockingbird.


    And if that mockingbird won¡¯t sing,


    Mama¡¯s gonna buy you a diamond ring.


    And if that diamond ring turns brass,


    Papa¡¯s gonna buy you a looking ss.


    ***


    This was the song she always heard the auntie next door sing to her baby when she was a kid. The auntie had a gentle and sweet voice. She sang on and on in the hot summer noon and her voice seemed to drive the heat away.


    Kate envied the chubby baby in the cradle and dreamed that one day if she had a baby, she would sing that song for it too.


    As she recalled this, she seemed to hear the humming of the insects and the songs of the mockingbirds.


    After she finished the song, she raised her head and found Tristan was staring at her. She felt embarrassed and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You will be a good mother.¡±


    Kate touched her cheeks, and they were burning.


    ¡°Listen to hear if this is right.¡± Tristan started to y the piano.


    It was slow at the beginning, but then it caught the rhythm and became smooth. ¡°Right? It is simple but sweet.¡±


    Kate nodded. Then she heard him start to sing, ¡°Hush, little baby, don¡¯t say a word. Papa¡¯s gonna buy you a mockingbird¡­¡±


    It was the first time she had heard a man sing a luby, and his deep mellow voice had a different kind of gentleness.


    ¡°Forgot the lyrics¡­¡± he stopped and turned to her for help, ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t know there were tears on her cheeks. She touched her face, and it was wet. She wiped her face with the back of her hand.


    ¡°Come here.¡± Tristan waved to her. His voice was full of gentleness now.


    She didn¡¯t move.

 Chapter 127: I Never Celebrate My Birthday

    And he stood up good-tempered and carried her and went back to sit on the stool. He held her in his arms and stretched his hands to y the piano with unprofessional posture, and he hummed the song at the same time.


    As Kate was choking and would not tell him the lyrics, so he improvised. After he finished, he kissed her on the forehead and asked, ¡°How is my version?¡±


    This side of Tristan was both unfamiliar and familiar to Kate. This was the man she dreamed of when she was young. She was overwhelmed by her emotions and rested her head on his shoulder, letting tears pour out as they wanted.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t prenatal depression, is it? We shall check with the doctor tomorrow.¡±


    As Kate cried, she heard the melody changing to merry and fast, ¡°London Bridge is falling down. London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down. My fairdy. Build it with iron bars, iron bars, iron bars.¡±


    The song was cute, and she turned to see Tristan¡¯s hands. The slender fingers moved on the keyboard swiftly and gracefully. And it suddenly urred to her that it was these hands that tortured her nearly to death¡­


    Kate suddenly flushed and put her hand to her cheek, fearing her thoughts might be noticed.


    The pianist focused on his performance and didn¡¯t notice her change. After London Bridge is Falling Down, he yed two more songs. The songs all had simple melodies and a lively rhythm but still could attract the audience¡¯s attention.


    She examined Tristan¡¯s face: The corners of his mouth were lifted slightly. His expression was earnest but also gentle. She found that the vicious and cold look on his face had been gone for quite a long time.


    Was it because he had be a father?


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Tristan asked her. She nodded, but suddenly she gave out a cry. Tristan stopped and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Kate looked down to her belly and said, ¡°It kicked me.¡±


    He was thrilled and put his hand on her belly, but a fewyers of fabric prevented his enjoyment of the actions of his future child.


    He lifted Kate¡¯s top and put his ear to her belly. They both held their breath for half a minute, and then they felt the little thing move. They both cried out with surprise and happiness. ¡°It must have heard my ying.¡±


    Kate¡¯s belly was like a balloon, and the skin was smooth and warm. Her breasts also became plumper after she got pregnant. There was a faint scent about her. Tristan pulled down her top before he got turned on.


    He said seriously, ¡°The 8th ofst month was your birthday, but I didn¡¯t celebrate for you¡­¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart felt a slight thrill. She didn¡¯t expect him to remember it. She said, ¡°I never celebrate my birthday.¡±


    Tristan squeezed her hand and added, ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t celebrate with you is that I have bad memories of that day. I cannot celebrate then.¡±


    Kate thought of something, and she blurted out, ¡°What happened on that day?¡±


    Tristan drew a breath and said in a low voice, ¡°My father died on that day.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Kate stiffened.


    After a few seconds of silence, she said, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Tristan shook her hand and he held and said, ¡°It is okay. It was over twenty years ago. It is just¡­¡±


    He looked at her with an apology, ¡°we will have to celebrate your birthday a few dayster in the future.¡±


    And then he took out a small box from his pocket. ¡°This is my gift for your birthday.¡±


    It was a small thing held in his fingers, but the lights it reflected were outstanding. After Kate saw what it was, she was shocked and scared. She raised her eyes to him.


    Tristan¡¯s expression was gentle and earnest. He looked at the ring and said, ¡°They say the best gift a man can give a woman is marriage, and the best gift a woman gives a man is a child.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Kate¡¯s lips trembled.


    ¡°Hush¡­¡± He stopped her rejection, looked into her eyes, and said, ¡°We both know the real situation between us, but our initial intentions may change.¡±


    Tristan nced at her waist, and his eyes grew tender, ¡°It is growing every day. You two both need an identity.¡±


    Kate turned pale. Her eyes showed herplicated emotions. He looked into her eyes again and said, ¡°One-third of our three-year term has passed. If you insist on leaving when the time is up, I will not force you to stay. But before that, can we live peacefully?¡±


    Tristan¡¯s eyes looked peaceful and sincere, without any intention to force her. It made Kate feel difficult to reject him. She could only stare at him.


    Tristan held her hand and put the ring on her slim finger.


    The size was just right. The diamond was dazzling like a star. Strangely there was no repulsion in her heart.

 Chapter 128: Fake Things

    She saw him taking out another ring from his pocket. It was a simpler one without a diamond. She was surprised.


    Tristan said, ¡°This one¡¯s for me.¡±


    Kate flushed. He put the ring in her hand and said, ¡°Help me put it on.¡±


    Kate was spellbound. She put the ring on his finger clumsily, and when the ring passed his knuckle, she pushed it to the ce.


    The pair of rings, one big and one small, were in harmony. Kate bit her lower lip. She could not reject him while he was acting like this.


    He held her hand and squeezed and said, ¡°Okay, that is a deal.¡±


    And then he pulled her head close and kissed her on the hairline.


    Kate had a vacant feeling, and she didn¡¯t know how she felt. At the same time, her heart was also filled up, with little space left.


    She recalled the first time she had seen him. There was a ring on his hand then. He was probably a person that respected marriage. This thought made her feel a littlefortable. Soon she thought of something.


    She buried her face in his chest and said in a muffled voice, ¡°Can you promise me one thing?¡±


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t do anything to hurt¡­¡± She was careful with the wording, ¡°¡­others.¡±


    Tristan moved a little but didn¡¯t respond immediately. Her heart was pulled up like a feather floating in the air andcked the sense of belonging. She added in a low voice, ¡°It is not good for the child.¡±


    Tristan said, ¡°I will do that.¡±


    His hand found her face and wiped the tears on it. ¡°Can you also promise me one thing?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t always cry. It is bad for the kid.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t make me cry.¡± She replied with a nasal voice.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He had kept this ring for quite a long time. Since he knew Kate was pregnant, Tristan had made this decision. He was a traditional man in this aspect. He didn¡¯t want his child to be regarded as illegitimate.


    It was just he knew Kate was still thinking about leaving him after the term was over. He was afraid of her rebellion if he was too pushy. Today he seeded in his n and got the ring on her finger, tying them together. He was exhrated.


    However, his good mood onlysted less for one day.


    The next morning when he had just got to the office, he got a phone call. The caller asked him gravely, ¡°You got some snitches around you? Roger Kane has some stuff. It was about you¡­¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tristan kept silent for a few seconds, and then he took the car keys and left the office.


    The car flew at top speed to his old apartment. After entering, he went directly to the study. The books were ced orderly as before.


    Tristan removed the books and opened the secret cab. When his hand touched the safe, he knew something was wrong. And when he opened it, as he expected, it was empty.


    The password was a date that turned his life upside down. And it happened to be her birthday too.


    He thought it was a coincidence, and he didn¡¯t expect it to be a fatal disaster.


    All of a sudden, evilness surged in his heart. His chest was burning with mes. Tristan took a deep breath and sank into the chair nearby, and forced himself to calm down.


    ¡°She was taking revenge for the cop?¡±


    One hourter, Tristan returned to his office and sat at the big executive desk. His fist supported his face, which showed no emotion.


    Chapman regretted it soon after he had asked the question. Boss didn¡¯t reply, but the answer was obviously there.


    This was really¡­


    He tried to cover the sympathy in his eyes and changed the subject, ¡°What did Mr. Jackson say about it?¡±


    Tristan said lightly, ¡°Cannot count on him. Somebody below yed tricks. He didn¡¯t see the things.¡± If he had seen them, blood pressure would soar, and he would need to be admitted to the hospital immediately.


    ¡°This time, they made up their minds to bring me down.¡± His fingers tapped the desk and muttered, ¡°At this point, I have to end the game in advance.¡±


    ¡°So what should we do?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Worst case scenario. Get sufficiently prepared immediately.¡±


    Chapman got the order and left. Tristan called Sam, ¡°You drive for her these next two days. Keep a close eye on her.¡±


    Sam asked him something, and he said indifferently, ¡°No. She can go wherever she wants.¡±


    A person could be confined, but a heart could not. So what was the use of it?


    After the call, he walked back and forth in the room. When he got to the shelf disying the certificates and trophies, he stopped to look at these things that recorded his over a decade of hard work.


    He skimmed them one by one, and then he took up one trophy, rubbed it with his hand, and then suddenly threw it to the floor with all his strength. Fake! Fake things!


    Like her, they were all phony.

 Chapter 129: I Recognize Your Voice

    The trophy hit the ground and smashed.


    Tristan turned around and grabbed a few more things, smashing them without even a look. What was broken were not things but a heart that was mocked and trampled.


    After throwing half a dozen objects, he seemed to have used up all his strength and was breathing heavily. He grabbed his tie and pulled it loose. Then he put his hand on his knee, squatting down to see the pieces on the floor.


    The broken pieces were crystal clear and sparkled under the sunlight.


    She was like them.


    Crystal-clear, hard and fragile, easy to break.


    ***


    The clock on the wall was pointing to noon.


    Tristan had just finished ying cricket. The two-hour game made him all sweaty and breathless. He almost wanted toy down on the floor. He threw the bat away and went for a shower. When he changed his clothes, he saw there were several missed calls on his cell phone.


    He was staring at the screen when his phone vibrated again suddenly.


    He pressed on, and Kate asked with hesitation and exhaustion, ¡°You are noting back today?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just asking.¡±


    Kate was sitting at the dining table. The food on the table was cold and untouched. She put the phone down on the table and watched it turned dark slowly.


    She was going to tell him that the baby kicked her a dozen times, and it seemed to be a very healthy and lively little thing.


    Kate also wanted to say that she was wondering what name they should give the baby. She searched online and saw the exnation of the name Tristan¡­


    Now she didn¡¯t feel like saying anything.


    She sighed and took up her fork. The diamond on her finger was shining with lonely lights. Her hand trembled a little, and the food on the fork fell down to the te. She took it up again with the fork. It was cold and hard. She had to chew for a long time to swallow down.


    Even though it was hard to eat, she had to eat and digest alone.


    Tristan had note back to the vi for three days straight.


    Kate spent most of her time with the fat cat. It had its own room and a cozy bed with all kinds of toys. She watched it sleeping soundly and watched it y savagely with the toys until she was afraid the baby in her belly would get bored.


    Kate decided to go out. She went to the book store first.


    She was wandering among the shelves ofw books. She had been very familiar with this ce.


    Then she went to the mall for shopping. She picked two toys in the baby shop and gave them to Sam to carry. He was silent and walked with a little evilness. His expression attracted the attention of the shop assistants and some of the customers, but Kate just turned a blind eye to him.


    The sun was setting, and Kate was walking slowly on the street.


    She thought of thest time she was with Tristan¡¯s mother. The picture they took was framed and hung on the wall in their bedroom. And she thought of Tristan and wondered what he was doing. He had not called for a few days.


    As she was thinking, she caught sight of a person, and she was shocked.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    She told Ed that she wanted to have milk tea.


    They just walked past a milk tea shop at the corner of the road. She saw a long queue outside the takeout window. The young girls all liked this kind of thing. She said she would wait here, so Ed went back to the milk tea shop.


    As his back was turned, she walked across the street immediately.


    It was a bar.


    It wasn¡¯t a busy time, and there were few people inside. The lights were dim, and the music was slow and soothing.


    She saw that figure again. She was standing with her back to Kate and talking to the bartender at the bar counter.


    She had auburn hair and was now taking off her coat, revealing a turtleneck sweater and a short leather skirt.


    The woman said to the bartender atst, ¡°I am going to take a nap. Call me when the guestes.¡± And then she swayed her hips and walked inside.


    She was moving slowly, and Kate followed her through the corridor and turned to the stairs. The person in front of her seemed to detect something and paused a little.


    ¡°Caroline?¡±


    The back of the person stiffened, but she didn¡¯t turn back.


    Kate said in a low voice, ¡°I recognized your voice.¡±


    A half-minuteter, they sat across from each other in a booth.


    The door was closed.


    The woman took out a cigarette and lit it swiftly.


    Kate was excited, ¡°I thought you¡­¡±


    ¡°I was dead?¡± The woman took a cloud of smoke and exhaled, and then said with a bitter smile, ¡°I did go to hell and came back.¡±


    ¡°What happened? I was waiting for your call then.¡±


    Caroline showed some apology now. ¡°At first, I was afraid of dragging you in, so I didn¡¯t contact you.¡± She sighed, ¡°But you were dragged in all the same.¡±


    Her eyes scanned Kate from head to feet. ¡°You seemed to be doing okay. I almost didn¡¯t recognize you in these expensive outfits.¡±

 Chapter 130: So What Brings You Back Here?

    Kate knew she had changed a great deal.


    After she got pregnant, she felt a ponytail didn¡¯t suit her, and she made a simple bun behind her head, showing more of her forehead. This made her face smarter and more fashionable.


    Though she barely wore makeup, her skin was shining with a healthy gloss because of being taken care of properly. Kate was wearing a white cashmere coat with a stylish maternity dress inside, dark gray woolen stockings, and ck suede ts.


    The air she carried obviously showed that she was living a wealthy life.


    Plus, there was a ring on her hand. Now she realized that she was holding her hands together and subconsciously or consciously hiding the ring on her finger.


    Caroline¡¯s sharp eyes rested on her belly, and she asked, ¡°How many months is it?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t answer.


    Caroline seemed to understand, and she extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray. ¡°Getting back to me again.¡±


    ¡°After we parted, I had a boyfriend. I quit my job and worked as a shopping assistant in the mall. Later I got pregnant, and I wanted to have the baby, but he didn¡¯t have a steady job. So money was quite a problem for us. He said he copied some files when he repaired theputer for the vice president of thepany he worked for. They seemed quite valuable. So on impulse, we copied a disc and proceeded with ckmail.¡±


    ¡°That night, he stayed at home alone waiting for them to exchange the files with money. I was wandering outside and had not received his phone call for a long time. I became worried, and I went back. I found the curtain was half closed when I got there. I peered through the seam of the curtain¡­¡±


    Caroline closed her eyes, ¡°The floor was covered with blood, and I came to understand what ¡®blowing brains out¡¯ meant. And then I saw two faces. I turned back and ran. They heard me, and one of them came out to chase me; the other one still stayed in there to clean the mess. I ran to a construction site. I saw a pond about two meters deep, and I jumped down¡­ The man watched there for about two hours without seeing me, and he finally left.¡±


    ¡°I had a narrow escape and didn¡¯t dare to go back home. I went to a friend and borrowed some money from her and took the train and fled to another city that night. I lost my baby on the way¡­¡±


    ¡°I went all the way to Miami and found a ce to stay. Thendlord introduced me to work in a factory owned by his rtive.¡±


    Caroline was calm as if she was telling a story she read in some magazine. Kate was shocked, and when she heard that she had lost her baby, her heart shrank.


    ¡°Anyway, we deserved it. We made the bed, so we had to lie in it. It is a shame I dragged you into this. Henry, that asshole must have sold you out. He died himself, and he still made you a victim too.¡±


    Now her voice showed some indignation.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mail the letter,¡± Kate said honestly.


    ¡°Forget it. They are too powerful and deep-rooted. It might be useless to mail that letter or even get one more person killed.¡±


    ¡°So what brings you back here?¡±


    Caroline pushed a strand of hair back to her ear and showed some sorrow. ¡°That asshole was stupid and messy, but he really loved me. I heard that his body had been found. I wanted to go to see his grave.¡±


    A phone rang, and they were both shocked. Caroline gave a nce at her cell phone and said, ¡°I have to go to work. I sell wine for my friend here.¡±


    She stood up and pulled her short skirt straight. Before she opened the door of the booth, she turned back and said, ¡°You won¡¯t tell them I am here, will you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Kate said and added after a thought, ¡°But you¡¯d better leave here as soon as possible.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Caroline nodded, ¡°I will go in two days.¡±


    Kate went out of the bar, and the sky was much darker. Some of the neon shop tes were already on. She felt like she just had a long, weird dream.


    She paused for a second and then crossed the road hastily and got back to where she parted with Ed.


    She saw Ed running from a distance with a sack holding the milk teacups.


    Kate exined, ¡°I was so bored waiting here. I looked around in the shops here.¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t mind and just said, ¡°The milk tea will be cold soon.¡±


    ¡°It is okay.¡±


    She took it from him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get back. It iste now.¡±


    In the middle of the night, Kate felt cold in her sleep.


    She pulled the nket higher, but the coldness didn¡¯t reduce. She woke up with a shiver and saw a shadow bending down over on her.


    She was just about to cry out when she recognized the outline of the face and took a sigh of relief.


    But soon, she felt her throat mped.


    A pair of big hands were surrounding her neck and was tightening up.


    She was scared and just managed to utter the word ¡°Tristan¡­¡± when the hands-on her throat tightened, and she could only make some breathless sound.


    Tristan was expressionless and asked gravely, ¡°Why did you betray me?¡±


    ¡°Why did you did that to me?¡±


    His hands were freezing cold, and the pressure on her neck didn¡¯t reduce. She had difficulty in breathing and reached her hands to try to break his grip, but his fingers were like iron and didn¡¯t move at all.


    ¡°Why?¡± He asked. His voice had some pain in it, and his calm face seemed like it was going to fall apart. He tightened his hands again.


    Her tears came out. She was nearly suffocated, but her heart calmed down instead. She reached her hand to his face as if to touch and to heal the wounds.


    In the dark, there was a little sparkling light. It was so tiny but it reflected in the man¡¯s eyes.


    The hands-on her neck suddenly released. Kate had almost lost consciousness. It took her a long time to resume her natural breathing. And she saw her hand that was held in that man¡¯s hand. A tiny star was sparkling on her finger.


    He took her hand to his mouth when there were footsteps behind him.


    And the ck barrel of a gun was pointed against his left temple.


    Kate gave out a muffled cry.

 Chapter 131: Was He Too Greedy?

    Kate looked at the man behind Tristan. He was tall and thin, and his face was bloody. His features could not be identified.


    She put her hand to her mouth.


    The man opened his mouth, and the voice was heartbreakingly familiar to her, ¡°Fox, you endangered society, killed innocent people. You are the devil in this world.¡±


    ¡°It is time for you to pay for it.¡±


    Tristan ignored him and bent his head to kiss her finger.


    There was an inaudible sound. Was it the sound of pulling the trigger?


    Kate cried out in fear, ¡°No, please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Tristan, Jimmy, don¡¯t¡­¡± Kate cried vaguely and suddenly opened her eyes.


    It was all dark around her.


    She fumbled for the switch of the bedside light. There was nothing on the bed beside her. There was no familiar scent in the air.


    She woke up fully and realized it was all just a dream.


    She was still a little shaky from the dream, and she felt hollow inside as if her heart was gone from her chest.


    She got the cell phone on the nightstand and wanted to press the shortcut key, but the image of the bloody face shed through her mind. Her heart was seized, and bitterness surged up.


    She put the cell phone back down.


    The light in the office was out. The colorful lights of ad boards outside came through the huge French window and cast shadows on the floor. Theputer was on, and the monitor gave out some dim blue lights. It made the wide room bizarre and gorgeous.


    The man behind the desk also looked mysterious under such lights.


    Tristan leaned on the back of the chair with his head raised and eyes closed.


    He was motionless, as if he was asleep.


    The humming of the cell phone on the desk made him open his eyes. There was no drowsiness in his eyes, only some redness. He took a nce at the screen and turned it off directly.


    There was no cigarette or wine or anything for narcotizing the mind. He was terribly sober.


    The memories of the past few months shed through his mind. He digested it and drew some conclusions:


    Her emotions were real.


    Her soft heart was real.


    Her smile and tears were all real.


    Her betrayal and lies were real too.


    No, she had not lied. She was the same as she was all the time. She was her true self. She stuck to her principles, and sometimes it seemed that she bent them, but in fact, she didn¡¯t.


    It was Tristan who hadpromised. It was he who had changed. He let his guard down, blurred the boundary, and caved involuntarily, step by step.


    He had seen the coldness and cruelty of human nature when he was thirteen. He didn¡¯t trust others easily and wrapped himself withyers of armor, making himself invulnerable. He tried to get what he wanted by hook or by crook.


    In his twenties, when he had the first contact with love and when he was deeply in loveter, subconsciously, he still had some reservations. Eight yearster, with the death of his love, his heart turned cold, hard, and merciless again.


    He didn¡¯t expect at the time, when he thought he was indestructible, a simple-minded and ineffective girl to defeat him so thoroughly.


    The problem was on him.


    All these years, he was enjoying riches, social status, fame, and all sorts of things that most people pursued, but at the same time, he grew tired of them. Without new elements entering his life, these things would build concrete walls inch by inch and trap him inside.


    Since he had her, had these things, his life became lively. Like most men, his daily life was to work for a living, for wife and children, repeat the routines and return to the warm lights of home and a lovingpany at night.


    He had greed for that.


    He took up the ultrasound photo on the desk.


    His peculiar experience made his values different from most of the people. He had never thought about his offspring. But now, he always imagined a little boy that took after him in looks, intelligence, behavior, and characters, or a little girl like her, obedient and a little stubborn.


    The best scenario was that it would take after both of them, a mixture, a little smarter, less stubborn, simple-minded, and happy.


    Thinking of these, he put down the photo and covered his face with both of his hands.


    He took a deep breath.


    Was he too greedy?Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Did he ask for too much?


    No. Tristan stood up abruptly. He grabbed the phone and car keys and walked out. He had to ask her what she thought. She was studying with persistent effort every day and never gave up on her n for the future.


    He thought she would at most leave the child to him and leave it alone, but now he realized that she was going to take the child with her to pursue her new life.


    Tristan would be left alone behind.


    What was he to her? He had given his heart as well as his wealth, and he would end up as a free sperm donor?


    Blood was boiling inside him and surged to his head. The calm thinking all night was overwhelmed by his rage. The hell of calmness! His heart could be broken, but he could not take this humiliation.


    When the elevator was going down, his boiling blood cooled down a little. Tristan saw his face in the mirror on the elevator door. It was exhausted and haggard, but his eyes shone with light.


    When he reached the first floor and walked through the empty lobby, a person sitting on a couch nearby stood up.


    Tristan stopped walking.


    Thedy wore a ck belted long coat, with shoulder-length hair and a slightly pale face. She walked directly to him.


    ¡°I knew you were still here. I called but could not get through. I have waited here for half an hour.¡±


    Tristan frowned slightly, ¡°What did youe here for?¡±

 Chapter 132: It Is Only A Marriage In Name

    Back at the office, the secretary had been gone sincest night. Tristan poured a cup of water for Jessie and sat face to face with her.


    ¡°They just had a meeting, and a special team was built to look into this case. They will dig up the problems of the Chasin Group¡­¡±


    Jessie went back to see her father a couple of days ago. Last night she overheard her father taking a call in the study. She heard ¡°Chasin¡± mentioned, and so she kept it in mind.


    After her father went to sleep, Jessie took his keys and went to search for his study. She found a file in his drawer that listed the crimes of Chasin, including smuggling, Tristan¡¯s involvement in murdering and bribing government officials, and more.


    She was shocked, and it took her half the night to digest what she had read.


    That morning, she contacted her friend in the city government. Because of her job and her father, she had umted quite a considerable socialwork in the government.


    Her friend told her that the city government was holding a meeting tonight to discuss this case. So she waited for one night, and as soon as she got the information, she came to see Tristan.


    Tristan listened to herposedly and asked, ¡°This scared you?¡±


    Jessie still held some hope in vain. ¡°Is this all true?¡±


    Tristan nodded.


    And then he said with sarcasm, ¡°Right. The man sitting in front of you is a smuggler, murderer¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. I know you were forced to.¡± Jessie interrupted him.


    ¡°No.¡± Tristan leaned back on his chair and looked aside, ¡°You don¡¯t need to find excuses for me. There is no reason to justifymitting crimes. I had other options too.¡±


    Tristan could choose to live in hatred and regret, a pain that was worse than death.


    He could have never chosen that kind of option in the past, but now he had little doubt about his options. He showed a little trance in his eyes.


    Jessie felt sorry for him and said, ¡°Tristan, marry me.¡±


    Tristan looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°This time, they have sufficient evidence, and they will y it seriously even at an economical cost to the city. My father is acting justly. The only way is to bind us together. My father has only one daughter¡­¡±


    Her voice became lower, ¡°He feels he owes me. If I beg him, he would have to bend his principles. Besides, my uncle is working in Washington. He can also help to keep the case down.¡±


    She told him everything, even her calctions about her father. It shocked Tristan. He looked at her earnestly and asked, ¡°Even after you know what kind of person I am, you still want to do this?¡±


    There was affection in Jessie¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t need to reply to that.


    He sighed, ¡°Jessie, thank you very much for your kindness, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to refuse now.¡± Jessie interrupted him and continued with difficulty, ¡°I know you care about Kate, right?¡±


    Her sharp eyes saw the ring on his hand when he had poured the water for her. It wasn¡¯t the old one she had seen before. That one was once an eyesore to her, and she, of course, could recognize the difference between the two rings.


    Jessie said self-mockingly, ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to love me anymore. It is just a makeshift n for you to get through this danger.¡±


    She added with bitterness, ¡°You can still be with Kate.¡±


    This was out of her pride¡¯s bottom line. Tristan felt his throat tightened.


    ¡°Before today, I would not have thought I could do this. I thought I might not be able to give you up to somebody else¡­¡±


    Jessie recalled her sleepless night after seeing the file. It was then that she realized that she could ask for nothing, as long as he was safe and alive. She would be satisfied if she could save him.


    But Tristan had stood up.


    He said calmly, ¡°I have been prepared for this, and I can handle it myself. This fight doesn¡¯t suit you. I will send you back. Go and have a good sleep.¡±


    He walked to the door first, but Jessie ran up and hugged him from behind.


    His body turned stiff. He heard her saying with misery, ¡°It is only a marriage in name, and you still would not ept it? Am I so terrible in your heart?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Tristan could not harden his heart and said in a soothing tone, ¡°I cannot do this. It is not fair to you.¡±


    Jessie put her face on his back and said in a nasal voice, ¡°There is no fairness in this world, especially in the world of rtionships.¡±


    The words were said lightly, but they were like a lightning bolt that shed across the sky and split the thick darkness of the night.


    Tristan¡¯s heart that had been so gloomy for the past few days, suddenly felt relieved.

 Chapter 133: You Wish For It

    5 am. Caroline had just finished her shift at work.


    She got themissions from the wine she had sold these few days. They totaled enough for her to travel back. Caroline was weighing going directly to Miami or back to her hometown for a while.


    The winter nights were long. At this hour, except for the downtown area where ads and neon lights were on 24/7, the city was in darkness and silence.


    Caroline stayed with her friend in an old section of the city. Her taxi stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley. When Caroline had walked halfway up the alley, the sensitive instinct trained by a long-term life of hiding made her detect danger.


    Caroline turned abruptly, but there was nobody behind her.


    She walked a few more steps and turned back sharply again. She almost cried out, there was a man a few meters behind her.


    He walked silently like a ghost.


    The face that she could not forget till she died made her pupils shrink and turn back and run. But after she ran just a short distance, she was forced to stop because there was another person in front of her.


    The manughed in a low voice and said, ¡°Bitch! You wasted a lot of our time looking for you.¡±


    Caroline¡¯s first thought was that Kate sold her out, but she ruled this out immediately.


    With two people advancing to her from both sides, her heart was beating wildly, and her hands were trembling. She reached her hand to her satchel.


    As the two men got close and were about to grab her, Caroline took out her hand from the satchel and pressed her pepper spray at their eyes one by one, and sprayed around. ¡°Go to hell!¡± She kicked one in the shin and ran for it.


    They cursed behind her. After Caroline ran for a few meters, she heard a sound, and something went through her shoulder. The pain almost blinded her, but she had the desire for life more than anything else, so her legs kept running like clockwork.


    When she saw a gap between two buildings, Caroline tried to squeeze herself through. As she tried to shrink herself to the minimum and was stuck in there, a hand from the other side grabbed her and pulled her through it.


    She was about to cry out, but she heard the voice said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We are the police.¡±


    When Tristan finally got back to the vi, it was already 2 pm.


    After sending Jessie off, answering a few phone calls, and handling some urgent business issues, he just got free to get back. It had only been a few days since he left, but walking into the house gave him a feeling of ease after a long journey.


    He was not the only one who had that feeling. Fat cat Lucy ran out of nowhere and sprinted to him at top speed and then ran around his leg, licking and smelling him.


    Tristan looked around and didn¡¯t see her. Finally, he saw Kate in the kitchen, wearing an apron and cutting asparagus.


    When he walked in the door, she heard the footsteps, and her hand paused almost undetectably, but she didn¡¯t turn back.


    ¡°Where is Laura?¡±


    ¡°She asked for some leave,¡± Kate replied sullenly.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want the job?¡±


    Kate turned back, ¡°Everybody has some emergency situation.¡±


    Tristan showed disapproval. ¡°Prepare my portion. I haven¡¯t had lunch.¡±


    Kate was quite efficient in cooking.


    Tristan took a hot bath and changed into clean clothes. When he came downstairs, the dinner was ready. Kate was cing the dishes. Three courses: steak, vegetables, and soup, both yummy and nutritious.


    She got a bowl of soup for him, and he got the meat and vegetables to his te. They did this in silence without exchanging a word, not even looking at one another.


    When they sat down, Tristan found Kate¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with your eyes?¡±


    ¡°The pepper was too strong.¡±


    He looked at the steak and vegetables. The steak had ck pepper sauce, and the vegetables had both red and green peppers in them.


    They both focused on the food, and no words were exchanged between them.


    After Kate finished the food on her te and she began to eat the soup, she said inly, ¡°Jessie came this morning, and we spoke about you.¡±


    Tristan stopped the motion of his hand and looked at Kate. He waited for her to continue.


    Luckily he did, or he would be choked at the words she said.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°You¡¯d better marry her.¡±


    After these words, Kate pulled the ring off of her finger. The ring fit her finger very well, and it took her quite a lot of strength to get it off. She pushed it to Tristan on the table.


    Tristan stared at the ring and frowned, ¡°She asked you to do this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jessie had just analyzed the situation and asked Kate to try and persuade Tristan to see the big picture.


    ¡°She can help you.¡±


    Tristan snorted, ¡°You are being selfless or¡­¡± he added some mood in words, ¡°you wish for it?¡±


    Kate replied calmly, ¡°I just hope nothing bad would happen to you.¡±


    The development of things was out of her expectation. After sitting alone and meditating for hours this afternoon, Kate thought that this was the only thing she could do.


    Tristan thought about it for a moment and said without showing any mood, ¡°Okay. I will think about it.¡± And he took up the ring.


    Kate¡¯s eyes lingered on the ring and turned dark.


    She saw him put the ring into his pocket and walked away from the dining table. There was still some food remaining on his te.

 Chapter 134: I Cannot Let It Go

    Kate regretted that she brought this up during dinner. She should have mentioned it after Tristan finished eating. It spoiled his appetite.


    Her finger was now empty. She thought it was good that she didn¡¯t have to take the ring off when washing dishes, as she always worried about losing it.


    This expensive thing was not suitable for her at all.


    Kate took her Time washing the dishes and cleaning the counter and table, not neglecting a small space and acting like the slow motion in a movie.


    Looking at the dustless and shining ovens, new and bright cupboards, and other facilities in the kitchen, Kate sighed. She liked cooking and just started to like this kitchen. She opened the drawers and appreciated the knives and forks that were ced inside an orderly.


    Until she heard the ming, ¡°Still not finished? Don¡¯t dawdle over these things.¡±


    She didn¡¯t turn back but just pushed the drawer closed.


    And she heard him say, ¡°Time for a walk. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Tristan had put on his coat, and Kate was urged to get upstairs to change clothes. And she was also reminded that it was cold outside and a thicker coat would be better. And then they walked out of the house silently.


    It was windy outside.


    Kate pulled her scarf higher. She could not risk catching a cold.


    Seeing her pale fingers outside of her sleeves, Tristan frowned and said in a harsh tone, ¡°Why not wear gloves?


    ¡°I forgot.¡±


    His hand soon covered hers¡ªthe warmth transmitted from his palm to her hand and then to her heart.


    It was windy, but the wind wasn¡¯t strong enough to make big waves on the sea. Waves rhythmically crashed on the beach. The sea looked profound and vast. It had a beauty and tolerance of ages.


    Tristan and Kate¡¯s paces matched each other¡¯s steps as they walked along the coastline.


    After some time, Kate slowed down and kicked her shoe against the ground. There was a stone stuck in the sole that made her foot feel ufortable.


    When she was going to bend down to get it off, Tristan stopped her. He knelt down and put one of her hands on his shoulder. Then he took off her shoe and took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and lifted her foot to step on the handkerchief. His action was so bossy that she could not refuse.


    He then fought with the stone to get it out of the groove of the sole. The boots were designed to prevent slipping, and the grooves were deep. The stone fit in tightly.


    There was another way to get it out, but Tristan insisted on using his hand. So he struggled with the stone like a clumsy kid or a one-track-minded man.


    Kate looked down at his thick short hair and the trimmed hair closed to his neck. It was the first time she had seen him from this angle. Her eyes suddenly felt sore and swollen. She quickly wiped her eyes before he stood up.


    Tristan finally removed the mineral invader and pped his hands. Before he put her shoe on her foot, he squeezed it as if to check if she was cold. When she got the boot back on, the fur inside the boot gave her warmth that reached her heart.


    Tristan didn¡¯t stand up immediately. He was still kneeling, holding Kate¡¯s hand. She looked at him in puzzlement and heard him said word by word. ¡°It has been almost two years since we first met.¡±


    ¡°And a year since we lived together.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I cannot let it go.¡±


    Tristan raised his head, ¡°Kate, I cannot give up this kind of life.¡±


    Her heart shivered.


    Tristan took out the ring from his pocket and gently put it on Kate¡¯s finger again.


    And he still wore the ring on his finger. It looked the same way she put it on for him clumsily. He looked at her, and his voice was soft but solemn as if he was vowing at the wedding, ¡°I can only marry the mother of my child.¡±


    And then he kissed her on the back of her hand.


    Kate felt like she was being shot. She shivered, and tears surged to her eyes.


    ¡°Tristan, I¡­¡±


    ¡°You only need to say you do or you do not.¡± His mild voice interrupted her.


    She seemed to lose her ability to speak, and only ceaseless tears came out from her eyes. Tristan covered her cheeks with his hands and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I will take it as you do.¡±


    Her tears came out more quickly as a flood washed his hands. His warm and dry palms absorbed her tears.


    After a long moment, he saw her smile through her tears.


    Tristan moved away from his hands and saw the dimples on her cheeks.


    They were small pits, so shallow, but deep enough for him to drown in.


    He bent his head to kiss one of these pits and licked it with the tip of his tongue. And then he moved his lips slowly and covered her lips.


    His woman¡¯s body trembled a little, and she lifted her arms to his neck.


    Tristan was encouraged and held her waist that was no longer slim. His tongue dug in her mouth and tangled with hers, invading aggressively.

 Chapter 135: Do You Know How He Died?

    Caroline had been shot in her back. After the bullet was removed, she stayed in bed in the hospital for three days.


    Her cell phone was taken away, and she could not get in touch with anybody except for the doctors and nurses. On the fourth night, the man who saved her-he imed to be a policeman but didn¡¯t wear a uniform-took her out of the hospital.


    She was taken to a secluded house, and the man signaled for her to enter.


    The house was empty except for arge desk with two chairs in front of it. It looked like an interrogation room in the police station. The only light source was a tablemp with an adjustable neck. Behind the desk was a person. From the shape, it looked like a man.


    ¡°Sit down, please.¡± That man spoke, and his voice was quite young.


    Caroline went over and sat down nervously.


    The tablemp was apparently being adjusted to the angle where the light was only on her. It made her ufortable. Whatever secrets Caroline had in her heart found nowhere to hide.


    The person behind the desk pushed a stack of photos to her, ¡°Do you know this person?¡±


    Caroline looked over and saw the hand first. It was a nice hand, with lengthy and shapely fingers. She could not help having a good feeling for the owner of the hand. But when she saw the photos clearly, her heart ached.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, he was my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°He is dead. Do you know how he died?¡±


    The person¡¯s voice was even.


    Caroline was startled, and she asked instead, ¡°Hasn¡¯t the case been closed?¡±


    The person replied unhurriedly, ¡°The one convicted was a scapegoat. The real murderer is still atrge. The victim was murdered at the same time you went missing. And you two lived together. So you are one of the suspects.¡±


    ¡°I did not kill him,¡± Caroline exined hastily.


    ¡°Then how did he die? What do you know? Or¡­¡± he paused intentionally, ¡°what did you see?¡±


    The man¡¯s tone was freezing and aggressive. Under the limited light, she could only see the outline of his face and his straight nose. She could not see his face clearly, but she could feel his eyes were intimidating. However, he was leaning back on the chair with a posture that was neither evil nor righteous.


    Caroline was uneasy inside. She had seen the malignancy of the human heart in the past two years. And everything looked usible here. The policeman might be a fake one, as this ce looked questionable.


    Having not heard a reply from her, the man didn¡¯t question her again. He said, ¡°I will let you see someone.¡±


    The door was opened, and a young man came in. He was tall and thin, with quite long hair, ck frame sses, and a very pale face, like someone who had not been in sunlight for a whole year.


    Caroline took a nce at him and said in a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡±


    The man with sses came to sit on the remaining chair and said, ¡°I know Henry Texton. We were roommates at college. Last winter, he mailed me a CD¡­¡±


    Caroline looked at him with surprise.


    The man with sses continued expressionlessly, ¡°He said in the letter that this was a second copy. Double insurance.¡±


    Caroline suddenly understood and cursed with indignation, ¡°That asshole.¡±


    The man behind the desk then asked unhurriedly, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you take it out untilter?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± The man with sses was a little ashamed, ¡°I wrote programs at home during that period. I didn¡¯t receive a phone call from Henry or hear that anything happened. I knew that the other copy did not work, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So you were scared?¡± The man in the shadow asked with contempt.


    ¡°I thought I might wait and see. Andter, some gamingpanies came to me for contracting, and many programs needed to be edited in a limited time. So I worked day and night. It was the kind of opportunity I have dreamed of.¡±


    ¡°So you found your conscience and mailed the letter only after you got the confirmed news that Henry was killed?¡± The man pointed out bluntly.


    The man with sses nodded awkwardly.


    ¡°Luckily, you learned your lesson this time. You changed the receiver.¡±


    The man with sses suddenly became excited, ¡°I analyzed it. The other letter didn¡¯t work, or it wasn¡¯t mailed at all, or it was intercepted. So I studied the crew arrangement of LA Police. I picked a person who looked more reliable¡­¡±


    After his rambling, the man in the shadow looked to Caroline, and his tone softened. ¡°Now I am in charge of this case. If you cooperate with the police, we will initiate the witness protection program, and you will have security around the clock.¡±


    ¡°So now, can you tell us what you know?¡±


    One hourter, Caroline and the man with sses left in thepany of a in-clothes policeman.


    The other man remained in the seat in the shadows. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, drew one, and lit it. The me of the lights lit up his nice-looking face, with indifferent eyes and sharp eyebrows.


    He seemed to be thinking of some issues or just focusing on smoking. The room was silent, and the light of his cigarette flickered.


    The silencested until loud clicking footsteps broke it.


    The door was pushed open again, and a merry voice sounded, ¡°Food delivery.¡±


    A girl carried two doggy bags and put them on the desk. She opened them, ¡°Tuna fish sandwich, chicken and tomato taco, beef burger, apple pie, espresso, and coke. I put three more miles on my car to get you there. Eat while they are still hot.¡±


    And then sheined, ¡°Why make it so dark in here? You will ruin your eyes.¡±


    The man retorted, ¡°One sees clearer in the dark.¡±


    The girl twisted her lips and pushed the food to him.


    He extinguished the cigarette and took up another one from the pack. ¡°Only after you get used to the darkness can you understand the psychological pattern of a person in the dark.¡±


    The darkness every time would have to be reced by a new dawn.

 Chapter 136: Do You Miss Them?

    Kate went out shopping quite early in the morning.


    The day they were kissing at the seaside, Tristan said, ¡°It will be Christmas again in two months. Last year you stayed with me and didn¡¯t go home. This year you probably¡­¡± He looked at her belly, ¡°cannot go back either.¡±


    He stroked her hair and asked, ¡°Do you miss them?¡±


    She nodded in his arms.


    ¡°So how about we go back to these two days?¡±


    And Tristan had the tickets booked for them that night.


    The next day, Kate started to prepare gifts to bring home. They were but clothing, health care products, dried seafood, and toys for her nephew.


    Tristan went to work, as usual, attending events sometimes. Nothing seemed wrong. It wasn¡¯t as serious as Jessie said.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    But Kate wasn¡¯t very sure because Tristan was good at hiding things. If he didn¡¯t want to show it, she could never know. Anyway, since he said he could handle it, she didn¡¯t want to think about it. She was concentrating on taking care of herself and the baby inside her.


    One weekter, Kate went back to the familiarnd in thepany of Tristan.


    The winter this year was livelier as there wasn¡¯t heavy snowtely. They flew to Pornd and hired a car, drove for more than three hours, and arrived at home.


    When they heard the sound of the car from inside the house, Kate¡¯s parents and elder sister came out.


    Seeing her family, Kate¡¯s eyes were wet.


    She had called and told them that she would be bringing someone together. Her parents were prepared, but when they saw this tall, good-looking, and distinguished man, they were still somewhat surprised.


    And looking at their daughter, her waist showed everything, the in and honest senior couple felt a little awkward. Kate¡¯s elder sister reacted first, ¡°Come on in. It is cold outside.¡±


    It was warm and cozy inside. Tristan looked around the house unobtrusively. It was clean andfy, like Kate¡¯s style, and gave him a cordial feeling.


    Kate¡¯s sister brought tea and desserts. A three-year-old boy with big bright eyes, Kate¡¯s nephew, was running around. Tristan shook his little hands and gave him the gift. The little boy was smart enough to call him uncle sweetly.


    Kate flushed.


    When they all sat down to have tea, Mrs. White exchanged a look with her eldest daughter and then turned to her second daughter, ¡°How many months is it?¡±


    Kate¡¯s face was still blushed. Tristan replied for her instead, ¡°Five and a half months.¡±


    Kate¡¯s sister tried to ease the air and asked some questions about the baby. And Mrs. White gradually turned hospitable and asked Tristan to try her homemade cookies.


    Mr. White had stayed silent for quite a long time, and heter asked about Tristan¡¯s job. Tristan replied respectfully and tried to bring some new topics to the conversation.


    They all became rxed and friendly. Kate admired Tristan¡¯s ability to deal with different people and turn the situation advantageous to him. Of course, she also felt relieved that the awkward situation that she had trouble letting her parents know was now removed.


    As they were talking, it was gettingte. Mrs. White and her eldest daughter started to prepare dinner. Kate¡¯s brother-inw came and joined the conversation. He was also a talkative person, and awkward silence would not possibly happen again. So Kate walked to the kitchen to help.


    Mrs. White and her eldest daughter were talking about Kate while they were preparing food. They asked Kate for more details after she came in. Kate tried to make brief replies. Mrs. White said after some debates inside, ¡°He is much older than you, but if he is nice to you, it is okay.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply.


    Kate¡¯s sister said, ¡°Right. He looks like a nice person.¡±


    Kate nodded, ¡°He is good to me.¡±


    The dinner was abundant: grilled mushrooms and chicken, pork meatloaf, spaghetti with ground beef, vegetable and fruit sd, roasted garlic bread, and carrot soup.


    Kate¡¯s brother-inw was a little upset because he boasted of being the hottest guy in their town. He expected this brother-inw to be a bald, pot-bellied man, but he turned out to be about half a head taller than himself with refined manners. It was quite a shock to him. Tristan appeared to be modest and friendly, and soon they became brothers.


    Kate¡¯s parents went to bed early, so soon after dinner, Kate¡¯s sister and her family left.


    Mrs. White had prepared the room Kate lived in before for them to stay in. Kate asked Tristan if this was okay. It was not a five-star hotel room. Tristan said, ¡°I would very much like to stay in the ce where you lived.¡±


    When they went to her room, Kate found her photos and showed them to Tristan. He held her on hisp andmented on her photos. Later, she got thirsty and went out.

 Chapter 137: Father鈥檚 Talk

    In the kitchen, she found her father sitting at the table and drinking herbal tea. Her father poured a cup for her, and she sat down to have a chat with him. In the oven, he was grilling some small potatoes.


    His father looked older than his contemporary. ¡°I am sorry that you dropped out of high school and went to work so young. I always hoped you could meet some nice guy and have someone to take care of you¡­¡±


    He sighed and asked, ¡°So the money for my surgery and medicine was from him?¡±


    Kate had to nod while her heart shrank.


    She exinedter, ¡°He and I¡­it is not just because of the money.¡±


    ¡°I can see that. He is nice to you.¡±


    Mr. White paused a little and said, ¡°I am just worried that he is a different person from us.¡±


    He could not exin himself very well. He thought his son-inw was too good to be true, but too many things had happened, and not much could be changed.


    ¡°You have to take care of yourself. Don¡¯t give up your studies. He may have lots of money, but you need to be able to be independent.¡±


    Kate nodded. It was rare for her taciturn father to say so much to her. She was moved and also felt bitter.


    The potatoes were done, and Mr. White picked them up in a small basket.


    ¡°Bring some to him to try.¡±


    When Kate got back to her room, Tristan was browsing her literature papers from high school. One of the essays was titled My Dream.


    Kate grabbed it from his hand with embarrassment and put it away. She gave Tristan the small basket.


    ¡°Try this.¡±


    They started to peel the skin of the potato. They were soft and waxy, smelled very good. Tristan looked at Kate and pictured her and her siblings eating grilled potatoes as little kids. It was cozy.


    He gave her a peeled one, but she shook her head.


    ¡°You eat it yourself.¡±


    Tristan split it into halves and put half into her mouth.


    After they finished eating, they cleaned up and went to bed. The quilts Mrs. White brought to them were too thick. Tristan felt too hot. He tossed and turned in the bed.


    Kate got used to it, and shey there and saw him turning restless.


    In the dark, their breath blew on each other.


    Tristan reached his hand for hers.


    Her hands were soft, and the fingers were slim. He held her hand in his big hand and felt the ring and the diamond on it. He rubbed it and then pulled her hand to his chest.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Kate¡¯s finger moved, and she reached her hand under his clothes.


    She touched the hard muscle and with curiosity andplicated emotion. Her fingers moved downward, to the ribs and to the abs. When she reached the abs, she felt that the muscles beneath her hand shrank and were controlled with effort.


    She wanted to pull her hand away, but he pressed it and didn¡¯t let her go.


    The air became tense.


    She heard his breath turn faster. She hesitated for a while and then moved her hand lower.


    It was the first time she took this bold move, and she didn¡¯t have the know-how, but it was enough to disturb his breath and made his body tighten.


    She thought her rubbing could pacify his desire, but on the contrary, he was hungrier with her stirring. The thing in her hand turned lively and had its own life.


    His breath was heavy, and there was suppressed moaning from time to time. She was holding the thing in her hand and didn¡¯t know how to deal with it. She could not leave it alone or continue.


    At the same time, his hand also reached into her tops and covered her breast, and kneaded in the same rhythm as his breathing.


    Her body temperature also rose.


    Kate gave it a thought, and then suddenly, she lifted up the quilt on him.


    He was almost shocked by her unusual action, but the next moment, he gave out a moan of satisfaction.


    In the dark, he saw her long hair flow down and covered her face. The soft hair spread on his abs and touched his nerves. He could not see her expression, but he felt his soft lips, flexible tongue, and tight throat.


    With Kate¡¯s movement, Tristan¡¯s body stretched like a bow being pulled to extremity. He grabbed her hair and called her name, ¡°Kate¡­Lucy¡­¡± He raised his body higher so as to have more contact with her and to get to the depth of her.


    Kate became passive. The thing in her mouth was aggressive and swelling, and she could not hold it. On the edge of suffocation, she wasn¡¯t herself anymore.


    The depression inside her was dispelled, and she was dominated by a crazier and more liberal soul.


    She didn¡¯t know what she was doing, and these skills seemed to be self-taught.


    It was her mission to make him happy. She was happy because he was happy.


    When it was finished, they were both sweaty and panting in the dark.


    Tristan wiped the remaining liquid on the corner of her mouth, and she was dumbfounded until he reminded her to go gargle.


    The heat and craze inside them subsided after the action. When they returned to the bed, it was still warm, but their bodies and souls felt the peace.


    Tristan held Kate in his arms, and his hand stroked her belly gently.


    When the drowsiness overwhelmed them little by little and their consciousness was fading away, he heard her say in a very low voice, ¡°Do we have to go now?¡±

 Chapter 138: I鈥檓 Pregnant With His Child

    Tristan awoke and found all his drowsiness was gone.


    Kate didn¡¯t speak any further. Her breathing was even as if she was in a night of light sleep, and the words she had just uttered were from her dream. However, Tristan had to respond to her question.


    ¡°It was the worst scenario. I had nned for all possibilities.¡±


    Tristan squeezed Kate¡¯s hand in his palm, ¡°I cannot give you a choice this time. We three have to be together.¡±


    Kate was lying on her back, and Tristan was lying on his side facing her. There was only about two fists between them.


    It was unbearably hot earlier, but now there was a cold surrounding her.


    After a while, Kate turned and leaned into his arms.


    The next day, Kate got up early and prepared breakfast with her mother in the kitchen. Her mother was making Mozzare sticks, Kate¡¯s favorite when she and her siblings were kids. They tasted so good that her mother only made them as a reward when they got good test scores at school.


    When Tristan opened his eyes, his eyes met another pair of big eyes.


    Kate was holding a te of golden cheese sticks. She picked one and gave it to him.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t brushed my teeth yet,¡± Tristan said.


    ¡°These are best when they are hot. Just one bite, and then you can go brush your teeth.¡± Kate insisted.


    Tristan took the te and had one bite.


    When he was eating, his eyes fell on her face.


    ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡±


    ¡°Your face looks a little swollen.¡±


    Kate thought ofst night and flushed. She turned and walked out.


    Tristanughed and ate the whole cheese stick. It tasted really good, crispy on the outside and smooth inside.


    Kate didn¡¯t look at Tristan during the breakfast. If he looked at her for a while, he would force her to blush. After breakfast, she suggested a walk around town.


    There were mountains at the edge of town. Scarce red roof houses were mostly built along the main street. They walked towards the mountain.


    On the way, Kate told Tristan some funny stories from her childhood. She had never talked this much, and the stories made Tristanugh from time to time.


    When they got to the foot of the mountain, at a higher altitude than the main street, they looked back on the town. The chimneys all had smokeing out slowly, rising to the sky. It was a peaceful and cozy scene, usually seen on a Christmas card. Tristan was touched by what he saw.


    Kate picked up a pinecone from the ground.


    ¡°This is nice to hang on the Christmas tree.¡±


    And she started to pick up more cones underneath the pine trees. Tristan helped her pick, and they soon had their coat pockets full.


    They walked back along a frozen river. Kate slowed down and looked to the icy surface.


    ¡°Is this the river where you saved your brother?¡±


    Tristan had heard her story yesterday while chatting with her brother-inw.


    Kate nodded.


    He held her shoulders and muttered, ¡°Lucky you were okay.¡±


    They walked past a food stand when then turned back to the main street. A few kids were waiting there for the kebab they ordered. The cook was a young Indian man.


    ¡°Do you want to eat kebab?¡± Tristan asked Kate. But before she replied, he held her hand and walked to the stand.


    There were all kinds of meat and vegetables. Tristan chose beef, which he thought was beef, which he thought was more conservative. Kate chose chicken.


    They saw the young Indian man put the skewered meat on the grill and apply a few kinds of oil to it, and then spray half a dozen powders on it. Soon the meat sizzled and turned brown. The Indians took their kebabs off the grill and sprayed some more powders on them before giving them to Tristan.


    Tristan gave the chicken kebab to Kate. Kate held the skewer close to her mouth and tried to blow air on it in order to cool it.


    Tristan shook his beef to cool it and then took a bite. He soon grimaced.


    ¡°Too hot?¡± Kate asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Tristan said, ¡°No. Too spicy.¡±


    She took another bite and winked at him. This was good for her.


    Tristan tried another bite, but his tongue was burnt, and he started to cough.


    ¡°Is it too hot?¡± Kate gloated.


    Their trip was nned to be three days. For Tristan, it was not easy to get away for even three days.


    On thest day, he took a lot of business calls. Sometimes he walked to the yard to answer the call. Kate would look gloomily at him through the window.


    Her sister jokes, ¡°You cannot let him out of your sight for just a second?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t respond to her stupid joke. She caught sight of Tristan¡¯s frowning face when he turned towards her in the yard.


    Hopefully, it was not bad news, she thought.


    On the way back, Kate yed with a lovely baby-sized coat. Her mother had made it in two evenings. She said the baby would be healthy and lucky to wear clothes made by family members.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Tristan listened to her babbling and felt warm inside.


    On the ne, Kate held the tiny coat and fell asleep, while Tristan looked at her gently but also gloomily.


    He had received news that the city government had met to discuss the case of Chasin Group.


    There had been some debates. Some thought the case was very serious and should be handled without lenience, while some others thought Chasin had made great economic as well as charitable contributions to the city; lenience should be given if convicted.


    They all finally agreed that LAPD, led by deputy director Roger Kane, should take action immediately and a crackdown on Chasin as soon as possible.


    Now the investigation was carried out in secret, but in no time, Tristan would be infamous in the city, in California, and maybe even nationwide.


    Thinking of these consequences, Tristan took a long breath.


    At the same time, Jessie was trying to reason with her father in his study. ¡°Dad, couldn¡¯t you let him off? You know how important he is to me.¡±


    Donald Harderson frowned, ¡°This is a big case rted to serious crimes. How can you let personal feelings get involved? Besides, didn¡¯t you two break up?¡±


    Jessie¡¯s eyes darkened, and she sighed, ¡°I am afraid I can never break up with him.¡± She tried to take courage and then looked into her father¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°I am pregnant with his child.¡±


    Donald was frightened, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Jessie looked determined, and she fumbled in her purse and took out a hospital report. ¡°HGG positive, pregnancy of five weeks.¡±


    Donald¡¯s eyes zed with fury, and he banged the desk vigorously.

 Chapter 139: There Are Additional Issues

    After a moment of silence, Donald got frustrated and med Jessie, ¡°Why don¡¯t you have self-esteem?¡±


    Jessie put her hand to her cheek and looked at him in disbelief. And then she raised her voice, ¡°You are right. I don¡¯t have self-esteem because nobody taught me to have it.¡±


    Pain and regret shed over Donald¡¯s eyes. When he was young, he put all his energy into his career.


    He took an appointment in another city. His wife was seriously ill, and he only went back when he got a notice from the hospital that his wife was in critical condition.


    When he got to the hospital, his wife had already closed her eyes forever. And his five-year-old daughter was dumbfounded, sitting by her side.


    Donald was immersed in this sorrowful memory when his daughter fell on his chair, with her hands covering her face and tearsing through her fingers.


    ¡°Dad, I have never asked you to do anything for me since I was a kid. Could you please help me with this once? Help get him out of trouble?¡±


    ¡°Tristan Fox has made serious mistakes.¡±


    ¡°But he has done so many good things. Chasin has contributed so much to the city¡­¡±


    ¡°There are additional issues.¡±


    ¡°Things in this world do not happen independently. Most things are rted and intertwined. Haven¡¯t you make any mistakes in your life? Can you say that you have an absolutely clear conscience?¡±


    The words crashed Donald¡¯s ears as if a hammer was beating on his heart.


    The memories that he had packed and sealed away in the deepest parts of his heart now surged to the surface.


    Donald closed his eyes in pain.


    ¡°I knew you put your integrity first in your career. And you have been cautious and conscientious all your life. And you sacrificed everything, including your family. If you feel that you owe mom and me, you will help me this time.¡±


    ¡°And from now on, I will follow your choice. Even if you don¡¯t want to see me again, I don¡¯t me you.¡±


    Donald looked at his daughter in disbelief. ¡°You¡­¡± he said heartbreakingly, ¡°You are incurable.¡±


    Jessieughed with sorrow. She had allowed herself to indulge in this hopeless love. And when she realized it, she was too deep in it to escape. She really was incurable.


    After parting with her father sullenly, Jessie went for another appointment.


    In a quiet booth of a fancy restaurant, Jessie ate just half of the food on her te. Owen took out a small velvet box and pushed it to Jessie on the table, his eyes shining with delight.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Jessica, marry me.¡±


    Jessie was tongue-tied.


    After a moment, she said, ¡°I am not ready yet.¡±


    Owen¡¯s face was gentle. ¡°Sure. I will give you time to think about it. Twenty-four hours or 72?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jessie was careful choosing the words, ¡°It is not the right time to think about this.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then when would be the appropriate time to start thinking about it?¡±


    Jessie hardened her heart and looked at him, ¡°Owen, it is not the time for us to get married. If you don¡¯t want to wait, then that is it.¡±


    And then she picked up her purse and left.


    After Jessie got back to her apartment, she was so exhausted both physically and mentally that she went to the bathroom and soon dozed off in the bathtub.


    When she woke up, her hands and feet were wrinkled and pale from soaking for such a long time.


    Jessie put a robe on, walked out, and saw a gloomy person sitting on the recliner beside her bed.


    She frowned, ¡°Why did you came here?¡±


    Owen raised the hospital report, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Jessie was annoyed, ¡°You searched my purse?¡±


    ¡°I saw you acting strangely and was worried. Just now, your phone rang ceaselessly. I was afraid of waking you.¡±


    Owen sneered, ¡°Whose, is it? Whose child is it?¡±


    Jessie felt cold in her heart.


    ¡°You rejected me because of this?¡±


    Owen raised his eyebrows, ¡°Or because of that, Tristan? You heard that he was being investigated, going to be cracked down on, and your heart suddenly softened for him?¡±


    And suddenly evil shed over his eyes, ¡°Or, the child is his?¡±


    His pale face turned red, and behind his sses, there was a me of rage, and perhaps humiliation too.


    Jessie paused a little and sneered, ¡°You are right. The child is not yours. As for whose it is, it has nothing to do with you.¡±


    Owen stood up immediately as if he wanted to beat her, but he nodded afterward and said, ¡°I know. I picked this time to propose intentionally. I wanted to see if you still have him in your heart. It is just as I thought¡­¡±


    Owen¡¯s eyes reddened, ¡°What do you think the past few months were? Jessie, who the hell do you think I am?¡±


    Jessie suppressed brimming tears and said in a cold tone, ¡°You are what you think you are.¡±


    ¡°Before you leave, don¡¯t forget to leave the key.¡±


    Donald Harderson, who had just had a fight with his daughter, was sad. He looked at the empty house and thought of the happy and cozy family he once had. However, it had been gone for a long time, and the memories were something he could not usually recall.


    He sighed and called his driver to get the car ready. He wanted to go to the office.


    For years, Donald had put all his time and energy into his job. It was not just out of his conscientiousness; it was partly because he wanted to escape from the daily reality he had to face.


    Donald walked to the door of his office with a heavy heart, taking the key out of his pocket.


    The door was unlocked.


    Donald walked in and saw themp on his desk was on. A person sat there. His back looked familiar and seemed toe straight from his memories of a past life.


    The man turned around. He was holding a ck and white photo in his hand. Donald¡¯s heart seized.


    The man said without hurry, ¡°I didn¡¯t see this picture in your housest time. You put it here.¡±


    He waved the photo to him. The four young men in army uniforms in the photo shed from his face.


    He said with a smile, ¡°Uncle Donald. Long time no see.¡±


    Donald¡¯s voice was trembling, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Charley Foster.¡±

 Chapter 140: To Tell The Truth

    It was a story from decades ago.


    Four young men had been dismissed from the army.


    They came from the same town and fought wars together. They became brothers over the years.


    After they returned and got back to LA, they found jobs so they could start over. They had been through life and death; they were afraid of nothing.


    So soon after they took new jobs, they all excelled in their new careers.


    The youngest among them, David Wagner, was a smart guy and good at doing business. He started his business and soon expanded it to a considerable scale after his first sess. While he was ambitious to have a bigger deal, his mistakes in decision-making led him to incur huge debts.


    LA Los Angeles was undergoing infrastructure construction rebuilding at that time.


    One of the city funds was kept in the bank Simon Foster worked at. Simon had been the vice president of that branch.


    David desperately had his eyes on that fund. He dragged his other brothers to help him persuade Simon. He said he would return the fund before the city construction project was initiated. Nobody would know about this. However, Simon, who was honest and upright, refused David indignantly.


    A few dayster, Simon got a phone call from David¡¯s wife, who was crying on the phone.


    He hurried to the site. David was standing on the roof of a skyscraper. He looked desperate and determined. His wife, with two young kids, was crying downstairs. His old mother arrived at the scene and fainted when she saw her son¡¯s figure on the top of the building.


    They finally got David off the roof after a long round of persuasion. And Simon was forced to risk helping him.


    David promised him that he only needed two to three months and he could get through the mire. And the city construction project was supposed to initiate in half a year.


    However, things didn¡¯t work out as nned. One monthter, they got the news that the construction was to be initiated immediately. The embezzlement was discovered, and LAPD took Simon Foster away.


    ¡°My father didn¡¯t tell the truth in order to protect his brother. He just asked somebody to send a message to David Wagner to return the money as soon as possible. Some guys in LAPD knew my father and wanted to help him. But David Wagner disappeared from this world. He tried to reach Harry Jackson, but he didn¡¯t show, with the excuse that he was traveling on business. He took three hundred thousand dors from that fund for his daughter¡¯s medical treatment.¡±


    ¡°My mother and I got the news and came to LA. Before we had a chance to see my father, we heard the rumors that my father had an affair with ady in the bank and thatdy had a parent who needed cash for surgery. At the prison, my mother asked my father about it, and they had a huge fight.¡±


    ¡°My father was set up by his brothers and misunderstood by his wife. He had nowhere to tell the truth.¡±


    ¡°A few monthster, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Before he was transferred, he hanged himself with his belt.¡±


    The story stopped.


    And the teller¡¯s expression was cold, but his eyes flickered with sorrow.


    Donald Harderson stood still by the door, like a pir.


    Tristan sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t care who the prime culprit or the aplice is, David Wagner or Harry Jackson, or if they plotted this together. It is all the same to me. Though you, Uncle Donald, didn¡¯t get involved and didn¡¯t take the money, you knew the whole story.¡±


    Donald¡¯s face was totally white.


    Tristan had some puzzlement in his eyes, ¡°Why? Why couldn¡¯t you stand up and say something?¡±


    ¡°Since I was thirteen, once in a while, I would close my eyes and picture my father¡¯sst days. He was kind and generous to others all his life. He never did anyone harm. He had three brothers to whom he would reach out to help whenever they had any trouble, and sometimes even when it went against his principles. Where were his brothers when he was in dire straits?¡±


    Tristan looked at Donald and said in a very low voice, ¡°And where were you then, Uncle Donald?¡±


    Donald had shown deep regret on his face.


    ¡°I did hesitate, andter I made up my mind to stand up for him, but it was toote. I didn¡¯t expect that he would¡­¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect that either. I didn¡¯t know he would lose hope.¡±


    Tristan said, ¡°And I could not understand why he used the belt. After he was taken to prison, he should have been changed to prison uniforms. All his belongings should have been taken away and kept. Why was the belt with him?¡±


    Donald¡¯s eyes shrank, ¡°Do you mean¡­¡±


    Tristan looked to him and the corners of his mouth lifted, ¡°You forgot Harry Foster was in charge of the police in that section. It was not difficult for him to buy off one or two of the prison guards.¡±


    Donald was shocked. This was murder.


    ¡°There is more to it than that. After I returned from abroad, I went to check with some of my father¡¯s colleagues at the bank. They told me that the rumors about my father were fabricated on purpose.


    ¡°My mother was young and short-tempered. She was sensitive to that kind of thing. And her misunderstanding became thest straw that broke my father.¡±


    ¡°After my father died, I found his diary when we were packing his things. The diary said things about you and the fund. My father sent a letter to the relevant departments. As we were waiting for the reply, something happened.¡±


    Tristan looked to the air as if his mind had returned back to the past.


    ¡°My mother¡¯s best friend knew that we had gone through a tragedy and came to visit us with her son. The boy was two years younger than I was. I taught him to y chess. One afternoon, my mother got a call for some emergency at work. She went out to handle it. It was getting dark, and she had not yete back. I got worried and went out to find her. I met her on the way. It turned out that she went to the market to buy some groceries on the way back and took some extra time. We went back home together. As we returned to our house, we found it was on fire¡­¡±


    Tristan choked, and he raised his hand to his mouth. His eyes shone with tears.


    He paused a little and continued, ¡°We rushed in for her friend and the boy, but they had already¡­¡±


    He could never forget that scene. The mother and son, who were talking andughing hours ago, were quickly in a horrible state. He was scared to death, but he still reached his hand for the boy and tried to wake him up. And then he heard his mother scream. A broken beam fell on him¡­

 Chapter 141: The Confession

    ¡°My mother risked her life to get me out. I was in the hospital for half a month before I woke up. When I opened my eyes and saw her, I could not recognize her. She was a bag of bones. We returned to our hometown, and my mother married an old German.¡±


    That man was an asshole. He drank and beat Tristan and his mother and Tristan. Soon he also lost all of his money. And he got himself seriously injured in a DUI.


    When Tristan was in thest grade of senior high school, thest year of high school, he got the phone call and went to the hospital. He unplugged the oxygen pipe tube himself.


    His mother didn¡¯t have to be tortured by this asshole anymore. However, her life had done too much damage to her physically and mentally. She had Alzheimer¡¯s disease at the age of 50.


    ¡°This is what happened to your brothers. Some of them are known, and some of them are unknown to you.¡±


    Donald¡¯s face was as gray as ashes. He moved mechanically to the couch and sank onto it. He seemed to be taking a long time to digest the facts.


    He raised his head and asked in a husky voice, ¡°So you came back to take revenge?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°The money was split by David Wagner and Harry Jackson. One used it as startup capital for his business and rose again; the other used it for bribing his way through political circles. They lived a good life. I was full of hatred when I thought of it.¡±


    ¡°David Wagner, I killed him personally.¡±


    Tristan looked at his hands and said to himself, ¡°That viin¡¯s blood was red too. He was a coward. He begged for his life.¡±


    ¡°Harry Foster was cunning and suspicious, but he had his weakness: his daughter. Besides, everyone has greediness. All I can do is feed it. After David Wagner, I thought it was too easy for them to just end their life with a bullet.¡±


    When Tristan said this, his face was calm, but underneath lurked instability.


    Donald was shocked and also sympathetic, ¡°You are ruining yourself.¡±


    Tristanughed, ¡°I will be ruined with them.¡±


    ¡°I took revenge and also achieved something that takes other people decades or a lifetime to achieve. Of course, everything has its cost. For this, I am prepared.¡±


    After his father died, Tristan had lost confidence in this world. And his wife¡¯s death took away thest shred of warmth from his life. He was desperate, and he initiated his revenge.


    Tristan didn¡¯t expect Kate¡¯s entrance to bring back his desire for life again.


    When he thought of her, he felt warm, as if there was a gentle hand stroking his hard and cold chest.


    Donald asked with hesitation, ¡°You reached out to Jessie because you wanted to hold something against me?¡±


    Tristan¡¯s eyes looked depressed. ¡°I did have that idea.¡±


    ¡°But she is a nice girl, I cannot do that to her. Besides, I cannot allow myself to use my emotions as tools for revenge.¡±


    This was the only innocent part of Tristan¡¯s heart. Perhaps subconsciously, he still had some inhibitions. The emptiness meant hope. And he wore the ring for eight years to remind him to protect thest piece of unsullied heart.


    Donald was full of guilt inside. His daughter being in this mire was entirely his fault.


    It was good then. He must pay for what he did.


    He gave it some thought. It seemed difficult for him, but he strangely made the decision, ¡°Let me think about it. I will help you to get off.¡±


    Tristan said with indifference, ¡°I am noting to ask for your help today. I just wanted to catch up with you.¡±


    He lifted the photo again, ¡°I am curious. Why is this photo in your office drawer?¡±


    Donald¡¯s face turned gloomy, and he said with sorrow, ¡°I wanted to remind myself not to do anything I would regret. I want to stick to justice and never indulge any evil desire or sin.¡±


    Tristanughed lightly, and his tone was sarcastic, ¡°You have be a good civil servant at this cost.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    The cost was his father¡¯s life and the happiness of his entire family.

 Chapter 142: I Can鈥檛 Fall Asleep

    A few minutester, Tristan walked out of city hall.


    When his eyes swept across the road lights, he seemed to see his teenage self from twenty years ago, who wasnky, with stubborn eyes and a heart full of hatred and struggle.


    At that time, he was fresh out of the hospital. When he uncovered the gauze on his mother¡¯s face in the inn bathroom, he copsed. He took a knife and wanted to fight those people who did this.


    His mother cried and held him tightly to stop him. She grabbed a fruit knife and pointed it to her chest to force him to give up the thought.


    She said revenge was a dish that should be eaten cold.


    So he took twenty years.


    Or probably all his life.


    Before returning to the vi, Tristan parked his car by the sea for some time.


    He squatted at the beach, took out the photo he took from Donald¡¯s office and flipped his lighter on.


    One of his hands blocked the wind as he ignited the picture. He stared at it. Its corner coiled up as it turned into ash and flew away in the wind.


    Tristan murmured in his heart, ¡°Dad, Mom, you can have peace now.¡±


    After Tristan returned home, he saw Kate sitting on the couch holding a book. Her soft profile was breathtakingly peaceful and elegant.


    She heard his footsteps and turned back. Her eyes had the satisfaction of long expectations.


    Tristan walked a few steps but then stopped and stood there, watching her walking toward him, her eyes carrying anxiety.


    Tristan opened his arms to hold her, hugged her tight, and kissed her on the forehead.


    ¡°Why are you sitting up sote?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°You cannot sleep when I am not here?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply but leaned her head against his chest. He stroked her smooth hair gently and muttered, ¡°Kate.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Her voice was soft and seemed to travel directly to his heart and then to his mind.


    ¡°Kate.¡±


    ¡°Lulu.¡±


    ¡°I missed you.¡±


    He got the illusion that he was thirteen years old again and had just crossed three decades toe back.


    It was a long journey. So he missed her so much.


    He lifted his face and checked Kate¡¯s big eyes. Her eyes were clear and pure, like a ce that had never been contaminated by this world. He bent down to kiss her lips.


    At the same time, under cover of night, a car parked by the yard of a house. A gray-haired man in his fifties walked out of the car. He was deputy director of LAPD Roger Kane.


    The person in the house had been waiting for him. ¡°You have time toe today.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I had some time and came to see how you are.¡±


    Roger swept his eyes around the house and said, ¡°You have kept yourself here for months. It is time for you to get some fresh air.¡±


    ¡°No hurry. Come see this.¡± The young man took out a stack of paper from the drawer.


    ¡°After a deep investigation, the boss behind the scenes of Ocean Dew Private Club was Tristan, as expected. It was under the cover of a private club, but in fact, it was a ce for trading money and power.


    Besides face-to-face trading, there was another innovative form of trade. Each room disyed some art collections. Most of them are private collections of government officials. And they are mostly counterfeit.


    The bribers bought the counterfeits at a price for genius items, and thus the bribes were carried on in secret. The private club had strict management. We worked very hard to get the cooperation of a newly employed staff and got to know what was going on there. This is the list of part of the guests she sorted out.¡±


    Roger scanned every name, and many of them were familiar to him. He frowned. When he came to the end of the list, he was surprised, ¡°Him too?¡±


    The young man nodded, ¡°It was said that every item in his collection, he had a counterfeit. He kept one and ¡®sold¡¯ the other one.¡±


    Roger paused for a while and then said gravely, ¡°This was an unexpected finding. Tristan is powerful and influential. He developed awork so wide and dragged so many people in.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The young man said, ¡°To be clear, he didn¡¯t drag them in. He just followed the course. He got them into the samework.¡±


    Roger nodded, ¡°Now it is not just a case of just him and Chasin. It involved¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish his words, but they both understood and looked away to the window.


    The night was pitch dark, but they could still see dark clouds roaring in the sky.


    The city was going to have a heavy storm.

 Chapter 143: Continue The Investigation

    The sun rose on a new day.


    In an alley of Old Town, some restaurants were busy serving breakfast. In the takeout window, a 16 or 17-year-old teenager was waiting in the line. His light gold hair was glistening under the sunshine. He got a few doggy bags and walked hastily away. At the intersection, he turned and then entered a house.


    ¡°Breakfast!¡± He shouted after he pushed the door open.


    Inside the house, curtains were pulled closed, and there was heavy smoke in the air. Some beer bottlesy on the floor. A bald man was sleeping on the couch, and a few others sat on the floor with their backs leaning on the wall.


    They were the suspects that escaped the gangster crackdown action a few months ago. As the police had checkpoints at almost all exits of the city, they could not flee out of the city.


    They thought they could hide for some days and waited until the control was loose. However, their pictures soon appeared on the wanted list, and bounties were offered to anyone who could provide information about their whereabouts. They could not walk down the street for fear of being recognized.


    The blond put breakfast on the coffee table and pulled up a chair. He took one of the boxes and started to eat.


    After a while, the other men woke upnguidly and cussed while they walked to the bathroom. The bald-headed man got up sulkily and kicked the blond on the leg on his way to the bathroom.


    At this time, there was a knock at the door. The men inside all became alert.


    A guy who looked like he was in charge walked out of the bathroom and said to the blond, ¡°Go check who it is.¡±


    Blond went to the hallway, opened the door, and looked through the screen door.


    The man knew that he was being peeped at through the seam of the curtain. He said to blond in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not a cop. I have a business to talk with your boss.¡±


    After he was admitted to the room, he ignored the alert and skeptical looks from the other men. He took out a bulging envelope from his bag and put it on the table. The sharp inhtion of breath from the other men was almost audible.


    ¡°I need you to help me deal with a guy.¡±


    He said the name in a low voice.


    The head of the gangsters, who now sat on the couch, frowned, ¡°It is looking for death to touch this guy now.¡±


    The man shook his head, ¡°He is not so capable now. Besides, he is in the light, and you are in the dark. After it is done, I will pay the other half.¡± He looked around the room and said, ¡°You have stayed here for quite a long time, haven¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you want to get out of here soon? I can help you get out of town.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    When they were silent, the eyes behind his sses showed confidence that he could win them over. He took out a photo unhurriedly and pushed it across the table.


    At dusk, Roger shut himself in his study as soon as he got home from work. He made a call, and after got through, he said gravely, ¡°People from the state government came today.¡±


    The person who came was the secretary of the state governor. He heard about the introduction of the World Trade Center project and Chasin¡¯s involvement. He gave affirmativements on Chasin¡¯s contribution to the society, and then he changed the subject suddenly, ¡°So it is said that there are some problems with Chasin?¡±


    The question had to be answered by the chief of LAPD. Harry Jackson looked to Roger. Roger had to make a brief introduction and stated some of the problems were still under investigation and required further evidence.


    The secretary said after a pause, ¡°The problems at Chasin have to be investigated thoroughly. However, for the time being, can you keep this low profile and consider the overall interests of the city first?¡±


    The so-called overall interest was that Governor Madison was seeking a second term. The exposure of the extent of government corruption in Los Angeles would have arge impact on his campaign. And who knew if the officials in the state government were not involved in this scandal. They all felt chills in their spines when they reflected on it.


    After the meeting, Roger went to see Mayor Harderson. He said with indignation, ¡°It is now a critical moment for this investigation. This has to be done when the time is right. If we cut them some ck, the culprits will run away, and it will be another dead end.¡±


    Harry Harderson thought for a while and then said, ¡°The case has got too many people involved. It has to be dealt with extreme prudence.¡±


    Roger¡¯s heart sank at these words. He was expecting the mayor to support him in carrying out the investigation, but now it seemed he turned to the other side.


    The person Roger called said on the phone, ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡±


    ¡°I will go to Washington. If something happens to me, this case¡­¡±


    ¡°I will continue the investigation.¡±


    The person he called replied decisively.


    Roger felt a little relieved.

 Chapter 144: Where Do You Want To Go?

    At the same time, in the mayor¡¯s office, Harry Harderson was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. He thought of today¡¯s meeting and the suspicion shing across Roger¡¯s face.


    He felt uneasy based on his experience and instincts. After struggling for a long time in his heart, he took up his phone and dialed a number.


    When Tristan got the call, he was discussing what color the child¡¯s room should be painted with Kate. There was a crib in the corner of the room. Various toys and baby clothes were ced inside the crib.


    Kate bought some toys and clothes every time she went out shopping, and before she knew it, there were quite a lot of them.


    After Tristan hung up the phone, he looked at Kate, who was biting her fingernail, and said, ¡°We don¡¯t have to think about it now.¡±


    Kate was startled and said, ¡°We have to go now?¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Her bewildered expression and slightly pale face made Tristan feel sorry. He stretched his hand out to hold her in his arms and wanted to say something tofort her or apologize, but he said nothing in the end.


    Kate opened her mouth instead, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to go? I told you that we could go see around the world when I had time.¡±


    ¡°I want to go to Africa to see the savannah. Or to South America to see the jungle. Or¡­¡±


    Kate listed a series of ces, but he could feel that she was nervous and conflicted. His heart was also seized by anxiety.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s leave our footsteps on these ces.¡±


    ¡°Wow. It will be a world adventure.¡±


    Tristan kissed her on the forehead, ¡°Yes, world adventure.¡±


    When Kate woke up in the middle of the night, she found she was alone in the bed. She got up and went downstairs. She saw the study lights on and pushed the door open.


    Tristan was standing by the desk, where a big picture was spread out.


    She walked over and took a nce. It was the World Trade Center that was still under construction, the project that he put most of his heart into. Now he could not see it beingpleted.


    Was this included in the dreams he had?


    ¡°I came to this city for the first time at thirteen, to see my father in prison.¡±


    ¡°The second time I came was a few monthster, to collect the ashes and belongings of my father.¡±


    ¡°And the third time was ten yearster. I came with hatred and thought every inch of thend was sinful, every building was dirty and disgusting.¡±


    Tristan inhaled a long breath and said, ¡°I have lived here for over a decade and saw its development and change. I built something in this city too. I got used to its climate, life speed, and started to like the sea, beach, and the ordinary honest people here.¡±


    Kate could feel the bitterness in her heart too. She was bonded with the city too.


    ¡°It was strange that I changed my thoughts gradually. I went back to my hometown that I had lived for thirteen years. I looked at the streets that were quite different from what they were in my memory, and I felt nothing¡­I knew I would leave here someday. I wanted to leave something here in this city, and it can apany my families who are buried here.¡±


    His everything, his families were buried here in thisnd.


    Kate walked close and hugged Tristan¡¯s waist from his back. She felt his body shiver a little.


    ¡°Am I too greedy?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, it is normal.¡±


    She had never realized that he was just an ordinary man deep down. He had the same sentimentsmon people had. She felt that was good, really good.


    Before Kate left, she had to say goodbye to someone.


    This time, she remembered to buy a bouquet of white lilies.


    The face in his photo was youthful and lively. It was the sunshine she most desired. Her memory went back to the first moment they had met. From the first time to every time she met him, he always showed up in the time she needed him most and gave her the most selfless help.


    And now, she was full of guilt.


    She had chosen to be selfish in the end.

 Chapter 145: It Is You

    Kate was no longer the person Jimmy had first known, who drew a straight line between the ck and the white in this world. She didn¡¯t deserve to be called his friend. Even her lingering here for a little longer would sully his innocence and purity.


    She sighed as she thought about this.


    Jimmy, I am leaving now.


    This time it will be forever.


    We won¡¯t see each other again.


    If there is a next life, you¡¯d be better off not to meet me again.


    Kate turned back and wiped her tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. After she walked half of the path, she saw anotherdying face to face with her, carrying a bouquet in her hands.


    That person took a nce at her belly and made way for her.


    Linda Galvin walked to Jimmy¡¯s grave and saw the bouquet of lilies. She turned back to see the back of the other woman she had just met. She thought of the handkerchief wringing in her hand and her reddened eyes, and she sighed. They were grieving for the same person.


    And looked to the grave again and seeing the man in the photo, her tears surged up.


    Linda Galvin lingered a long time in front of Jimmy¡¯s grave before she left. She drove her car here. The road was quiet, and very few cars passed by. After she drove for a while, she saw a car stopped in the middle of the road strangely. When she passed it, she saw from the window that the driver was sitting inside motionless with his head drooping.


    Linda stepped on the brakes abruptly.


    She opened the door and ran over to the car. The driver¡¯s face was white, and his chest was oozing blood.


    She was shocked. She thought maybe she¡¯d better leave it and not get into the trouble herself. But she then thought of the person she visited just now in the cemetery, and she got the courage.


    Linda looked around to make sure there was anybody there. Then she took out her phone.


    When she was going to dial 911, a pink handkerchief on the floor near the back wheel caught her attention. It looked familiar, and she thought of the pregnant woman she had seen just now.


    The back door of the car was not locked. She pulled it open and saw a woman¡¯s purse on the seat.


    It was the third time Kate had been kidnapped in her life.


    Their car was driving back home when suddenly a person rushed from the slope on the roadside and bumped into the car before fleeing.


    The driver was in shock. He got out of the car to check the person. However, the person who was supposed to be either seriously injured or dead jumped up and stabbed him in the chest.


    As they were fighting, another two people ran down the slope, and before Kate knew what was happening, she was drugged and taken away.


    After Kate woke up, she found herself in a pitch-ck room. It should be a basement because the air smells moldy. Both her hands and feet were tied, and she was lying on a single bed.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    She felt nervous. This time was more serious than thest two times because she was not alone.


    After a while, the small door was opened, and two men came in.


    Kate recognized the head immediately. ¡°It is you.¡±


    The manughed, ¡°Right. Nice to see you again. How is your brother?¡±


    Kate bit her lips, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    This was the person with whom she had negotiated for Max¡¯s freedom. He looked down and out now, with stubble on his chin and more malevolence in his eyes.


    ¡°I know your man is somebody. But my bros need to earn a living, so we have to take this business.¡±


    The baldhead behind him showedsciviousness and swept his eyes over Kate. ¡°Bro, this chick is nice. Being pregnant is even better.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. This one cannot be touched.¡± The man said, and then he added, ¡°At least for now.¡±


    The bald-headed man¡¯s eyes flickered. Then she could be touchedter?

 Chapter 146: A Little Hint

    Bang! Tristan put down the coffee cup on the desk heavily.


    Ed, who stood behind him, blinked. He saw his Boss turned back and pointed his finger almost to his nose, and snapped, ¡°What the hell are your men doing? They are all useless when you need them. Why haven¡¯t you got any news about her whereabouts so far?¡±


    Ed could not say anything.


    From when he got the news this morning until now, 7-8 hours had passed. They knew nothing about what happened. The driver was seriously injured and was still in aa. He couldn¡¯t give any information.


    Tristan lost his temper. He had always tried to control his emotions and didn¡¯t me others without reason. It was cowardice to shout at others. But this time, he could not control himself.


    When he got the news, it was like a bomb exploded in his brain. It took him a while to react. He ground his teeth and said, ¡°Look for her, even if you have to dig the ground feet down.¡±


    Tristan paced around his office, and everything was provoking to him. He swept the files on the desk to the floor. If he had not been busy with these, he could have been with her¡­


    Even if he would leave, there were things that needed to be taken care of before he left. After all, these were his heart and life. He would not see it fall apart after he left. He hammered his fist to the desk. He was making the same kind of mistake again. Thepany and his career, even if they were his heart and life, now they could notpare to her and his child in her belly.


    Kate sat with her back leaning on the wall, covering a ragged nket.


    Blond was sitting on a chair ying PSP. It was at the heat of a game when the power was out. He cussed and threw it away and tried to start chatting with her. ¡°Max is your brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You two look alike. He was stubborn. He would not eat.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply. She ate. The takeout food was too greasy and too salty that she almost wanted to throw up, but she had to eat it for the baby.


    She asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you know Ed? Aren¡¯t you together? Why do you want to kidnap me?¡±


    ¡°No. We are on the run, on the wanted list. Nobody wants to have anything to do with us.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to hang out with these people?¡±


    ¡°To earn a living. I was too young and knew nothing. I thought it was cool. You know, like the movies. They yed it so cool. And then, after some time, I cannot go back anymore¡­¡± His tone was cynical as if he was much older than his age.


    ¡°You can stille back.¡± Kate said, ¡°You are still young. If you are less than 17 years old, and you haven¡¯tmitted a felony, they will not send you to prison.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has a second chance.¡±


    Thest sentence sounded more like persuading herself than him.


    She could not tell the day from night in the basement.


    She could only judge from her own biological clock. Kate yawned and slept with alertness.


    In her dream, she felt something was touching her. She woke up suddenly, and her eyes caught sight of the dreadful bald head. He was stinking with alcohol, and his eyes were red. His hand was stroking on her.


    ¡°Go away. Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°Nowhere to go today. I have to do it for you today. If you don¡¯t want to do it down there, use your mouth to make me happy.¡±


    Then he started to take off his belt.


    Kate was frightened. Her hand was tied in the back.


    The man had already got one of his legs on the bed, and his penis was swaying in front of her face. She tried to dodge it, and her stomach started to churn. The man grabbed her hair to stop her from moving, and Kate screamed, ¡°Help!¡±


    As she was on the verge of hell, blond pushed the door open and came in. ¡°Boss said she was not to be touched.¡±


    The bald head got furious, ¡°Shut up. I have to do it here today. You can have a tryter too.¡±


    Blond came over to drag him, ¡°This is against the rule.¡±


    ¡°To hell with the rules! We don¡¯t live like humans. No woman. No going out. Now the woman is avable here, why can¡¯t I have her?¡±


    Blond dragged him tightly, ¡°I will tell Boss. He will fix you.¡±


    The man was a little scared. He bluffed, ¡°Who do you think you are? You are threatening me?¡±


    Obviously, blond¡¯s mentioning of Boss had some deterrence. He released Kate and vented his anger on blond. He kicked and beat him up for a long time before he got out.


    Blond wasn¡¯t his rival. He got up from the ground and wiped off the blood from the corner of his mouth. His cheek was already swollen.


    Kate leaned against the wall, and her eyes were wet. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I despise him. Scum.¡± Blond cursed and untied her hands. ¡°I untied your hands, but don¡¯t y tricks. Even if you get through me, there are other people too.¡±


    Kate thanked him again. She didn¡¯t dare to sleep now. She stroked her belly and kept her eyes open.


    The day broke, and one more night passed.


    Tristan raised his head from the desk in his office. He had sat there for half a night.


    He stood up and twisted his sore neck, and took up the key and cell phone.


    After he arrived at the vi, he was a little hesitant to walk in.


    The house was extremely silent and empty without her. He could even hear the echo of his own footsteps.


    He went upstairs and came to the baby room that had not yet been decorated.


    His heart ached at the sight of the crib.


    He had already prepared for the worst case. If the baby was gone, and even if she could not have the baby again, it was okay as long as she was alive. If she was gone, he could not live on.


    Yesterday he sent Chapman away.


    Chapman didn¡¯t want to leave, especially at this time when Kate was missing. He insisted on staying behind. If everyone was gone, they would probably suspect.


    He told him, ¡°Of course somebody will stay. I will. You have your family to take care of.¡±


    ¡°You also¡­¡± Chapman stopped in the middle of the sentence.


    He smiled bitterly, ¡°As long as we three are together, it doesn¡¯t matter where we are.¡±


    Even hell would be heaven.


    If he was alone, then heaven would be hell.


    Chapman hesitated and then said, ¡°They were aiming at you. If you are not here, Kate might not be dangerous.¡±


    He, of course, knew that.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    But he could not take a risk on this. As a man, if he could not protect his wife and child, he would not deserve to live in the world.


    He walked closed to the crib and took up a brown plush bear. The bear was adorable, with bright dark eyes. It reminded him of her. In fact, everything reminded him of her.


    There was a small sound behind him, and he turned back abruptly.


    It was the white cat.


    It walked slowly to him and stopped by his feet.


    He squatted down and touched its back. It cried, and sounded like sobbing.


    ¡°You miss her, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Meow-¡±


    ¡°She wille back. She will be okay.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Meow-¡±


    Tristan took the plush bear to the room with the piano.


    The piano was still maintained dustless. He put the bear aside and opened the lid.


    He needed to stay cool, needed to calm down.


    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The fingers fell on the keyboard, and a melody was on.


    Kate, tell me where you are. Just give me a hint. A little hint.


    Give me a chance to learn a song for you. I haven¡¯t yed something especially for you.


    After he finished, he realized that what he yed was Canon in D. The melody was beautiful, but the story behind it was too sad, ominous.

 Chapter 147: Run

    He yed again. And this time, it was Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. One could only have the same kind of feeling when he was with the love of his life. The music flew in the air and filled up the room. A room was full of loneliness and sadness. Every second passed was torture to him.


    After he finished ying, he saw the dark and nk eyes of the bear. He pinched its face in a daze and asked, ¡°Is it good?¡± To his surprise, he triggered the switch, and the bear started to move and gave out a childish voice, ¡°Good morning, good morning. The best to you this morning. How are you? How are you? I hope you¡¯re feeling fine. And happy all the time.¡±


    He was startled. The sound was electronic and fake, but he was still shocked.


    It repeated, again and again, the lyrics, as if it was his child that would be born in a few months. Each word crushed his ears and heart.


    After a long time, he pressed it again, and another female voice began, ¡°Hush, Hush, little baby, don¡¯t say a word. Mama¡¯s gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird won¡¯t sing, Mama¡¯s gonna buy you a diamond ring¡­¡±


    The familiar voice sounded like singing to herself or whispering to his ears.


    Tristan spent half a day in the room, ying the piano, a piece of music after another, without feeling tired. He only stopped to answer a few calls. In the past, when he felt a stir of emotion, he yed a piece, and he resumed calmness. But now he yed again and again, and his missing was like a stream keeps flowing to the sea without stopping. The stream can never stop running until it reaches the end of its life, running into the open arms of the sea.


    Lucy started to get bored and ran around his feet, scratching his pants and cried.


    He stopped to look at it and then turned to the window to see the sky. Finally, he bent down to carry it up.


    He brought it to its room, got the food out and poured it into its bowl, and then sat down to see it enjoying its meal.


    The sunlight came through the window and fell on Lucy¡¯s body and also its house-shaped bed. Tristan found that there was something shining inside it. He reached his hand inside the house and found a few ragged toy rats and a silver color box. He remembered seeing the box on Kate¡¯s dresser. It was her cosmetics box.


    He took it out, opened it, and was shocked.


    In the box, the cassettes, CDs, and file bags were ced in order.


    He drew out one cassette, and his handwriting was on thebel.


    His hands trembled.


    Bitterness and sadness surged up from his heart like magma from the volcano. They burnt his throat.


    He coughed violently and felt dizzy. He sat down on the floor in a trance.


    After some time, he put down the cassette and put the hand to his mouth.


    He thought he loved her enough to tolerate her betrayal. He didn¡¯t expect that she did the same to him earlier than he did without his knowledge. She didn¡¯t exin or make amitment.


    She must have had a painful struggle for a long time before she made that decision. He felt his heart was aching, like an outbreak of angina. He was dying to see her and hug her, tell her that he would pay her back with his life.


    Another day passed, and Kate was still the same. She could only lean on the bed and covered in the ragged nket, but she had an earphone now.


    Blond saw her being bored and gave her his MP3 yer. The teenager was nice. He bought her two more extra eggs for breakfast, and she was really grateful to him. Agnes Obel¡¯s Riverside was ying again and again.


    Down by the water, the riverbed


    Somebody calls you, somebody saysUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Swim with the current and float away


    Down by the river every day


    Oh my God, I see how everything is torn in the river deep


    And I don¡¯t know why I go the way


    Down by the riverside


    The singer had a lonely voice, and the sound of the piano enhanced that feeling. Her tears came out as she listened.


    She thought of thest day she saw Tristan. They had breakfast, and then Tristan was about to leave the house. She told him, ¡°I will go outter today.¡± He stopped for a second and then nodded, ¡°Okay. I will ask somebody to apany you.¡±


    His eyes showed tenderness and affection. She would still remember how they looked. In a second of hesitation, he probably guessed where she was going, but he didn¡¯t disagree. He should not like her going there. After all, who would like his woman to have another man in her heart?


    As she had nothing to do, she started to recall and sort out all the memories since she first met him. From the first impression as a ruthless person to what he was now, he had transformed into a different person. But she knew he was still the same person deep inside.


    The person she saw was what he looked like to outsiders. And now, she had seen the true self of him. The painful experience had wrapped masks and armors on himyer byyer, but inside he still had the real him.


    She was lucky to be the one to see the true self of him.


    He longed for love, and so did she. She had never been adored like this before. From the unustomed feeling to getting used to it, and now she was addicted to his love. In the period that her sense and emotion was fighting fiercely, her resolution was always defeated by his affection. And she could only feel guilty about Jimmy more and more.


    His misunderstanding didn¡¯t trouble her much. She thought she deserved it anyway.


    And his forgiveness moved her greatly. The time they were on the seaside, he knelt down to help put her shoe on and put the ring back into her finger again. Every time she recalled this, the impact on her heart was no less than the time it happened.


    She bent down to see the ring on her finger and kissed it.


    Being loved like this, she didn¡¯t have regrets if she died.


    Kate dozed off as she listened to the music. And when she woke up, she had a congested nose, sore throat, and heavy head. There was no air-conditioning in the basement, and it was cold.


    She felt her forehead and said to the blond who was ying games, ¡°I have a fever.¡±


    Blond looked at her and saw her face was strangely flushed.


    ¡°Can you help me? I cannot get sick.¡±


    Blond hesitated a while. The other two guys were out, and he was left here alone. He made up his mind and said, ¡°I will go buy some medicine for you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kate¡¯s eyes fixed on him steadily, ¡°You let me go.¡±


    Kate and blond went out of the basement and walked across the yard. The house was located in a suburban area.


    They could see the lights and bridges of the downtown area.


    They had to go through a long and unpaved road.


    It was midnight, and there was no light. It was all dark.


    Blond held her arm and reminded her of the bumps on the road.


    They just walked for not long, when they saw a shadow in the front and a familiar voice sounded in the dark, ¡°Ha! What do I see?¡±


    The head of that person reflected some light, and they were both shocked.


    ¡°Turncoat!¡±


    Blond stepped to the front and said, ¡°Bro, she got sick. I am taking her to see the doctor.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Before she goes to see the doctor, let me enjoy her first.¡± And he moved up to them. Blond grabbed his arm and said, ¡°She is pregnant. You could kill her.¡±


    Bald head pped him on the ear with so much strength that blond fell onto the ground. Bald head took the chance to kick him in the stomach and grabbed Kate. ¡°Either you are sick or dead, nobody would give a damn. Let me have a good time first.¡± And his mouth reached to Kate¡¯s face.


    Kate tried to push him away. The blond guy held the bald head¡¯s leg and called to Kate, ¡°Run! Run!¡±


    Bald head¡¯s feet fell on blond¡¯s body and gave out thuds.


    Kate hesitated for a short moment, and then she got rid of the bald head¡¯s hand and started to run to the main road.


    She could not spare time to take care of blond. All she had to take care of was the child in her belly. She could not let anything happen to it.


    Bald head saw her run and got furious. He kicked blond with all his strength ceaselessly.


    Blond took out a jackknife and climbed up on his knees, and stabbed him in the stomach. He cursed, ¡°Youe to bully me again. I am not yet 17-year old. I don¡¯t need to go to prison if I kill you.¡±


    A shriek of agony sounded behind Kate.


    Kate didn¡¯t turn back but sped up her steps. She felt that somebody was chasing behind her in unsteady steps and screaming at the same time.


    She ran for a while and became exhausted. She only had faith inside her. She had to run against the time. She finally made it to the main road before the man behind her caught her.


    She saw a car driving towards her, and its headlight blinded her, and she fell¡­

 Chapter 148: Jimmy Is Alive

    Kate felt she was being grilled on the fire. She had some faint consciousness, but she was so tired that she couldn¡¯t even lift her eyelids. She felt somebody was walking back and forth in front of her, causing the light to turn on and off.


    A woman¡¯s voice said, ¡°She has a serious fever.¡±


    Another deep and low male voice said, ¡°She cannot take medicine now. Try to reduce her temperature by physical method.¡±


    A person put a wet towel on her forehead and used another wet towel to wipe her palm. She felt the coolness, which was veryfortable. And then her socks were taken off, and her feet felt wet and cold too. It was itchy, and she moved. She wanted to grab something with her hand and soon found her hand was held by another hand. It was a big hand with long fingers. It was a man¡¯s hand.


    She felt miserable, and tears came out of her closed eyes. A hand wiped the tears for her. The hand was colder than her fevered face. When the finger pulps touched her face, the feeling made her moved.


    She cried out vaguely, ¡°Tristan¡­¡±


    She felt the fingers tremble.


    And she called again, ¡°Tristan.¡±


    No answer.


    The wet towel wiped her palms and feet again and again. The burning feeling was assuaged, and she was overwhelmed by drowsiness. She didn¡¯t mind if he replied to her or not but just grabbed that hand and fell asleep.


    After a few days in fright, she slept very well and at ease. The morning light woke her up. She opened her eyes slowly and found she was in an unfamiliar ce. It was a clean and cozy room. A girl with short hair bent her face on the bed and was asleep. The girl felt her staring and woke up immediately.


    When she lifted her head and met Kate¡¯s eyes, Kate was surprised, ¡°It is you? You saved me?¡±


    ire nodded and asked, ¡°Do you feel better?¡±


    Kate said yes and then asked, ¡°What date is today?¡±


    ¡°9th.¡±


    Kate was shocked and sat up immediately and was going to lift up the nket and get off the bed.


    ire stopped her hastily. ¡°Don¡¯t move. You are not fully recovered yet.¡±


    ¡°I am okay now. I got to go.¡±


    ¡°We will send you back, but not now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to send me back. I can¡­¡± Kate was putting on her shoes when she realized something, and she raised her head and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ire moved her lips but seemed to have difficulty in saying something. Another voice replied to her, ¡°That means you cannot leave now.¡±


    Kate looked to the source of the voice. A door of the room inside was opened, and a tall and shapely man was standing by the door.


    The morning light fell on him and lit up his face. He was pale and unreal.


    Kate was shocked.


    After a long while, Kate found her voice, ¡°It is you?¡±


    The manughed, and his voice was as pleasant as before, ¡°You don¡¯t know me now?¡±


    ¡°Jimmy? Is that you?¡± Kate turned from surprised to happy.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jimmy crooked his lips.


    Kate¡¯s eyes were wet, ¡°You are still¡­¡±


    ¡°Alive.¡± Jimmy strode over and said, ¡°God said I could not die yet.¡± Before he finished the words, he saw Kate cry out and hold out her arms to him. He paused a little and hugged her.


    ¡°I thought you were dead. I thought I could never see you again.¡± Kate could hardly make herself clear and cried like a baby.


    Jimmy stroked her back, and his chin touched her soft and smooth hair. His heart was melting, and he felt happy and satisfied. However, after thefort and happiness of seeing each other, the distance between them was ignorable. Her highly bulged belly kept them from leaning to each other and also expressly reminded them that they were now in opposite positions. His softened heart feels the bitterness immediately.


    Kate released him after a while. Her face was soaked in tears. Jimmy lifted his hand to wipe her tears, and she dodged. He was shocked, but Kate seemed not to realize it. She raised her hand and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. She asked, ¡°Why did they said you were dead? I had been to your grave. Your picture was there.¡±


    Jimmy¡¯s eyes darkened, and he said, ¡°It is a long story.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t ask again but muttered, ¡°It is great that you are okay.¡± And then she thought of something, and she wiped her face again. ¡°I have to go now.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Home¡­¡±


    She saw Jimmy¡¯s eyes fall on her left hand. She understood and put the hand down, trying to hide it behind her.


    Jimmy sighed inside. He saw the diamond ring on her finger when he wiped her hand with a wet towel. When he held her hand, the angles of a ring, though not sharp, rubbed his palm and made his heart ache.


    Knowing it and seeing it with his own eyes were different.


    He collected himself and said seriously, ¡°I just said you could not leave now.¡±


    Kate was surprised, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If I let you go back now. Tomorrow or the day after, will you and Tristan Fox still be in LA?¡±


    Kate¡¯s heartbeat paused.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Jimmy said without expression, ¡°The investigation is still on. Only by this way can we stop him from leaving.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t vited thews. You don¡¯t have the right to arrest me.¡± Kate argued.


    ¡°I know. This is expedient.¡±


    ¡°No, this is against thews.¡±


    Jimmy smiled bitterly, ¡°You are right. When this is over, you can sue me.¡±


    ¡°What makes you different from the ouws then?¡±


    She came to understand that the persons kidnapped her just to deal with Tristan. They wanted to make him not able to leave. She tried to escape at all cost, and she didn¡¯t expect¡­


    ¡°No difference.¡± Jimmy stared at her and said word by word.


    ¡°Kate, I know you have a special rtionship with that man now, but he is a criminal suspect now. As a policeman, I have to bring him to justice. And personally, I want to get justice for my Uncle Jack and the innocent people he killed, and¡­¡±


    He paused a second, and Kate knew that he meant for himself too.


    ¡°It is not fair and square to use this means. I would not do this in the past. But after all, I experienced, fair and square means cannot deal with this kind of person. As we havee to this point, I might as well tell you this¡­¡±


    ire looked over to him, and her eyes seemed to signal him to stop, but Jimmy waved his hand to her.


    ¡°Tristan Fox bribed a lot of government officials these years. Now for their own safety, they have to put him under their umbre and protect him. Our investigation was thwarted and sabotaged. Our team and our supervisors are risking our lives every day¡­¡±


    Kate felt guilty and said in a low voice, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say sorry for what he has done. I tell you this just hoping you can understand that we have our position and we are sorry for using you.¡±


    Kate looked at him and asked softly, ¡°So you are now a policeman?¡±


    Jimmy said calmly, ¡°Right. At this moment, I am just a policeman, not your friend.¡± He had difficulty in uttering thetter part of the sentence.

 Chapter 149: I Lied To You

    And he saw tears came to Kate¡¯s eyes silently. It was like a flood drowning his heart. He turned away and said, ¡°I bought breakfast. Eat it while it is still warm.¡± And he turned and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Jimmy.¡± ire gave a nce at Kate and then chased him up.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Jimmy pulled the door open and turned back to ire, ¡°Take good care of her. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Jimmy¡­¡± ire¡¯s eyes showed sympathy. She wanted to say something, but she stopped.


    ¡°I am okay. Roger called and asked me to go over.¡± He said, ¡°I might be busy the following days. You take care of her.¡±


    ire went back to the bedroom and saw Kate was still standing in the middle of the room. Her face was all tears. ire could not help sighing. Such a simple and innocent girl, how could she get involved with a ruthless criminal and be the center of an evil vortex¡­


    ire pulled Kate¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Go eat something first.¡±


    On the table, there were milk, fried eggs, croissants, porridge, pancakes, quiche, etc. They were from different shops and with several different kinds of packaging. One could see that the person ran a long way to buy these. She was moved.


    Kate sat down cooperatively and took one of the packs ire passed to her. His throat was clogged, and she wanted to say she could not eat, but she held the words back.


    The food looked delicious, and the smell was good, but in her mouth, they tasted like cotton. She chewed mechanically as toplete a mission. After ate something she didn¡¯t know what, she quitted.


    ire saw her eat just a little, but she knew she could not persuade her to eat anymore. She cleaned up the table and put the remaining away. She told her she could heat up the remaining foodter when she got hungry.


    Kate went back to bed again after washing up.


    She could not fall asleep now. She stared at the ceiling and put her hand on her belly. After a while, she felt it moved inside her, and she was relieved.


    Luckily the baby inside her wasn¡¯t affected by what she had suffered these days. When she was quiet, it would kick her as if it felt boring and was stretching its arms and legs after having enough eating and drinking. Or it was telling its mother that it was doing good.


    She felt proud of it. Her baby was strong. And it also reminded her of her responsibility. She had to protect it.


    After ire finished her job, she walked over to sit by the bed.


    She saw Kate had calmed down and said, ¡°Jimmy didn¡¯t want to tell you, but I think you might want to know.¡±


    ¡°I was there when the ident happened. Jimmy had serious injuries and bled a lot. When he was sent to the hospital, the doctor said if he arrived a few minutester, even God could not save him.¡±


    Kate took a long breath.


    ¡°He spent a whole week in ICU before he was out of danger. He still had a few days in aa after he was shifted to themon ward. This scheme was decided by Roger after he got out of danger. Roger said that too many people had lost lives for this case, and we could not do it the conventional way anymore. Some extreme measures had to be taken¡­ So when we first approached you, Jimmy didn¡¯t know about the n. He disagreed strongly after he knew, but the n had beenunched then.¡±


    ¡°So please don¡¯t me him,¡± ire said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t me him.¡± Kate said calmly, ¡°He just did what he had to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay. To keep this confidential, even his parents were kept from knowing the truth.¡±


    ire sighed, ¡°The ident had great damage to his body. The doctor said it might take three to five years for him to fully recover.¡±


    ire didn¡¯t see Kate clenched the bedsheet behind her tightly.


    How hard was it to find a person in a city with millions of poption?


    Tristan had not thought about this before. And he was so frustrated with himself.


    The guard whoy in the hospital woke upst night and described the appearance of the kidnapper. Ed heard him and pped hisps. He knew who did it. He sent people to search for them immediately. When their people found their hideout, Kate was not there. And the guy who was responsible for watching her disappeared too. They said he and the other guy who got an eye on her disappeared at the same time.


    A few hours had passed, and Tristan still had not got any news about Kate. Something might have happened to her again.


    Putting all the information together, he was too scared to specte what might have happened to her.


    He rubbed his temple and made a call.


    Before getting out of the house, he went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water. He looked at the man in the mirror. Except that the eyes had some redness, the face still looked cold and hard. He was the same person, but also not exactly the same.


    It seemed a part of his heart had been dug out.


    Half an hourter, Tristan arrived at a booth of a club.


    The person who was waiting for him was a silver-haired old man. He was Jerry Hitchcock, whose birthday party he went tost time.


    Mr. Hitchcock was a businessman, and he had influence in both legal society and gangsterdom. He had credit, his own principles, and loyalty to his friends, so he could survive both the ups and downs of business and society.


    ¡°No new moves in the state government. I assume they go directly to Washington. I will check with my person there¡­¡±


    ¡°No, thanks.¡± Tristan said, ¡°Enough people have been dragged into this. Even if the worst scenario happens, it is enough for me. I would not miss a person who owes me, but I will not get a person who helped me in trouble.¡±


    When Tristan first started a business, he got recognition from Mr. Hitchcock. Mr. Hitchcock introduced him to the powerful persons in his circle. Tristan and Mr. Hitchcock also had some secret trading. He smuggled a few cases of guns into the country, and except for some he left for himself, he gave the rest to Mr. Hitchcock. They were not pure businessmen. So if the investigation went deeper, even a veteran could be dragged in.


    ¡°Ie to see you today to ask for your help on something.¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°It is about Kate. If,¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes moved around, ¡°If something happens to me, she is alone¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If that happens, I will take care of your families.¡±


    Knowing Mr. Hitchcock meant his words, this was hismitment. Tristan nodded gratefully and felt like a heavy stone had been removed from his heart.


    Mr. Hitchcock could not help adding, ¡°In fact, you can leave first. When I find her, I will send her a whole piece.¡±


    Tristan smiled lightly, ¡°I have to stay here with them.¡±


    In the meeting room of LA Police, Roger Kane had been briefed on the progress of the investigation.


    He came back two days ago with an investigation team from Washington. At the same time, Director Harry Jackson had been suspended from his duties for reasons not yet disclosed.


    Roger was a little excited, and his face flushed. ¡°So these are the current situations. Okay, I want to introduce an important person to this action.¡±


    Everyone followed his eyes and looked to the door. A shadow came within eyeshot of the persons in the room.


    There were audible exhaling sounds from inside the room.


    Looking at the dumbfounded faces, Jimmy smiled and said, ¡°You see a ghost?¡±


    The room roared, and everyone stood up and rushed to him. Somebody punched him on the shoulder, and somebody rubbed his hair. Bill was most excited, ¡°You are a real person? I went to your grave and put flowers there¡­¡±


    And somebody said, ¡°You badass. You yed on our emotions. I almost cried my eyes blind for you.¡±


    Jimmy coughed and rubbed his chest. He yfully punched his brothers one by one.


    Rogerughed and said, ¡°It is my bad. I lied to you, but I was forced to.¡±

 Chapter 150: The Warrant Is Approved

    Dawn.


    Tristan was dozing off, leaning the head again. In just a few minutes, he had a dream.


    Kate was holding a little pink baby and teasing it. ¡°Where is the baby? Tell mommy where daddy is.¡± The little baby had big blue eyes rolling quickly around. His heart was melting and also jumping wildly. The little thing found him, and it put its thumb into its mouth and sucked. Kate kissed it on the cheek and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go find daddy, ok?¡± And then she went out with the kid.


    Tristan was surprised and wanted to say a word, but he could not make any sound.


    He was anxious and woke up.


    He was in a daze for a moment, and then he realized the phone was ringing.


    He took it up and answered it. After the other side finished, he said, ¡°Okay. I will go now.¡±


    There was a suitcase by the bed which Kate had not finished packing. Tristan took the bear on the bed and shoved it in. And his eyes caught something. He took a few pieces of clothes from the suitcase out.


    A small pine cone was among the clothes.


    It came from her hometown.


    Tristan stared at it for a few seconds, put it back, zipped the suitcase, and walked downstairs.


    When he passed the living room, he put a thick file bag on the coffee table. And when he reached the door, he could not help turning back and looked again. The memory of thest two years shed in his mind.


    He took a long breath and pushed the door open.


    It was going to be a tough night.


    ire got the information from the team that the following 24 hours would be critical to sess. The task for her was rtively easy because Kate didn¡¯t have much aggressiveness. She was quiet all day, ate, and slept cooperatively. It was going to be 3 am, and she was too tired that she dozed off.


    It was just a short while that she had been asleep when she heard a shriek.


    She jumped up and saw the bed was empty. She panicked and reacted that it was on the 8th floor, and the shriek came from the bathroom.


    ire rushed in that direction. Her colleague who watched in the living room had been woken up and was standing by the door of the bathroom now. He was hesitating on breaking in or not.


    ¡°Kate, are you okay?¡±


    A moan came out from inside. She and her colleague exchanged a look, and her colleague threw himself against the door, and after a few attempts, the door was opened.


    They rushed in and saw Kate was lying on the floor, her face white and her expression painful. Her hands held her belly tightly. There was water on the floor. It looked like she slipped and fell.


    ire panicked and bent down to help her up.


    Kate opened her mouth frarily, ¡°Hurt¡­My belly.¡±


    ire looked at her and determined, ¡°We will send you to the hospital.¡± And then she called her colleague, ¡°Come help her up.¡±


    He was a little hesitant, ¡°Maybe we should call Jimmy first¡­¡±


    ¡°If something happens to her, he will be the first one who won¡¯t let you get away with it.¡±


    They helped Kate get back to the bedroom, put on a coat and shoes for her. And then the male policeman carried her in his back and got downstairs and got into the car.


    Before the car started, the male policeman still wanted to call Jimmy, but ire stopped him. She said, ¡°They might have already started the action. Don¡¯t distract him. We¡¯ll just save her.¡±


    The engine was started, and the car sped out of the parking lot.


    ire¡¯s words like needles stabbing Kate¡¯s heart. She grabbed the door holder tightly.


    ***


    At the same time


    In the LA Police head office meeting room, a special team was standing by for action.


    The investigation provided a detailed report, and in thetest meeting, a conclusion had been made: Chasin Group had smuggled illegal articles, murdered and ordered others to murder people. The evidence was sufficient, and the documents had been submitted to the US attorney. They are waiting for the arrest warrant.


    The clocking was ticking. And everyone was silent.


    They sat or stood in silence and also in excitement. They had been working on this case for a long time and had been waiting for this moment.


    Jimmy was quiet. He sat in the corner of the room, using a soft cloth, wiping his gun.


    Suddenly the silence was broken by the ringing of the phone. Everyone looked to the source of the sound. To guarantee confidentiality, most of the people had turned off their personal cell phones and handed in, only those who were in charge ofmunication had cell phones with them, like Roger and Jimmy.


    Jimmy took out the phone from his pocket and answered it. And then he said to Roger, ¡°The target left the seaside vi 10 minutes ago and is heading in the direction of downtown¡­¡±


    The others looked at each other. Somebody asked, ¡°Is he escaping in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Will we start the action now?¡±


    Roger thought for a while and then waved his hand in the end.


    Jimmy¡¯s hand on the gun clenched tighter.


    At this time, the door of the meeting room was opened. A policeman came in breathlessly, ¡°The warrant is approved.¡±


    Everyone perked up. Roger heaved a sigh of relief. He said to everyone, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s start this. I will wait for your good news.¡±


    Everyone nodded and got ready to move. Jimmy wore his gun and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move.¡±


    After Tristan met Ed and his men, he changed to take their car. They expected the vi was under surveince by the police. They were right. Soon after he came out, he found he was being followed.


    Now they had three ck vans of the same kind.


    At a cross, the three vans took different directions. Ed¡¯s driving was great. In the empty streets near dawn, he turned left and right suddenly and freely. Soon they got rid of the car that tailed them.


    The guards sat on the passenger seat, and the back seat chuckled in admiration. Ed smiled proudly.


    Tristan didn¡¯t say anything. He recalled the dream he just had. It was a sign.


    Suddenly, he heard Ed cuss and the sound of guns. Without seeing, Tristan knew that the guards sitting in the back row were assembling sniper rifles. The vehicle was a type with great bulletproofing. Everything was prepared ording to the worst scenario he nned.


    In a second, they heard the police siren from far behind.


    Tristan turned back to see.


    It was at the end of the road, but the red and blue light flickered in the dark and was outstanding. He frowned and asked, ¡°How far is it now?¡±


    Ed said hastily, ¡°It is in the east part of the city. Still need at least half an hour.¡±


    At this time, another ck van came from the side at top speed. It was one of their other two vans. It came through another route to meet them.


    Ed turned back and said, ¡°Boss, you go with them first. We will go to pick Kate.¡±


    Tristan squinted and said, ¡°All exits should be blocked now.¡±


    ¡°Then take n B. Hide for some time¡­¡± Ed tried to persuade him.


    Tristan raised his hand to stop him, ¡°We are going to pick Kate together.¡±


    Whether seeded or not, he wanted to stay with her.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

 Chapter 151: Don鈥檛 Act Rashly

    If he could not see her now, it would probably be more difficult for him to see her in the future.


    Seeing there were two vans of the same kind in front of them and each one headed in different directions, Bill asked Jimmy, ¡°Which one should we follow?¡±


    Jimmy looked closely and said decisively, ¡°The left one.¡±


    Obviously, the left one had better driving skills.


    The night was dark, and the city was silent. The skyscrapers on both sides of the road were a still background of the chasing.


    Ed looked gravely, and he stamped the elerator, and the van almost flew out when going down the slope.


    However, the police car behind stuck with them, and the sound of that car was closer. Tristan looked out of the window, and it seemed red and blue lights flickered everywhere.


    Suddenly he narrowed his eyes. Not far in the front, it was the construction site of the World Trade Center.


    The building had been finished. Only the outer ss wall had not been installed. They were still discussing some details of the ss wall, and he had given somements¡­


    Now it seemed so ironic.


    With an ear-piercing brake screeching, the van stopped. Ed cussed and said something.


    It was extremely light in the front.


    Besides the overhead white lights from the construction site, there were a couple of searchlights in the front. They made straight beams to the sky and lit up half of the sky.


    And below these lights, a row of police cars with flickering rm lights parked closely in half a circle. Looking closely, Tristan could see numerous armed special policemen with gun barrels aiming at them.


    Tristan heard the breathing of the men behind him and the sound of sliding down the windows and lifting the guns.


    ¡°Shit! We will go for it. Soon our guys will arrive. It is hard to tell who would win yet.¡±


    Tristan asked in a deep voice, ¡°How many among us could have a lifetime sentence if get caught?¡±


    What replied to him was silence.


    Only Ed turned back and said with unwillingness, ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    Tristan raised his hand to stop him, ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly. They have employed special police, special forces. There are almost one-third of the city¡¯s police here.¡±


    At this time, the speaker sounded, ¡°Tristan and your men, you are besieged. It is time to surrender¡­¡±


    Inside the van, it was silent.


    Outside the van, everything was still. It was like a lurking animal waiting for the right moment to start the attack.


    The speaker sounded again and repeated the words.


    Both sides were in a stalemate until a loud sound of an engine from outside and a ck van rushed in and stopped in front of the blockage line.


    The back door of the van was opened, and a middle-aged woman was pushed outside. A man had a gun pointing against her temple.


    The situation changed, and it was deadly silent.


    Sam shouted without expression, ¡°Ask your men to put down the gun and back off, or I will shoot her.¡±


    Jimmy didn¡¯t expect this and waved to his men to put down the guns. The police who had the speaker shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt the hostage. Don¡¯t make one more mistake¡­¡±


    The woman being held hostage was a janitor wearing a uniform. Her legs were trembling so much that without Sam lifting her by the cor, she might probably kneel down. And unexpectedly, after being dragged forward a few steps, she started panting, and her eyes rolled to the white. She looked like she had an asthmatic attack.


    Jimmy frowned and shouted, ¡°Let her go. You need a hostage, let me be your hostage.¡± And then he put the gun on the floor.


    Sam sneered, ¡°Let you be the hostage? You think we are stupid?¡±


    Jim stared at him and said, ¡°Thanks to you, I am now not much more aggressive than she is.¡±


    Then he took the loudspeaker from his teammate and said, ¡°Tristan Fox, do you dare to ept my proposal? You are a man. It is shameful to drag an innocent person here, especially a woman without resistance.¡±


    Ed cursed, ¡°God damn that policeman!¡±


    When Sam dragged the hostage closer, Tristan slid down the window and said, ¡°Change person with them.¡±


    Jimmy ignored his teammate¡¯s dissuasion, raised his hands, and walked slowly to them.


    Ed pushed the door open. At the moment when Sam was going to release the woman, Ed shouted, ¡°Wait.¡± He walked to Jimmy and looked at him with a faint smile. ¡°You are a tough guy?¡± And he suddenly raised his knee and kicked Jimmy¡¯s stomach.


    Jimmy wasn¡¯t prepared for this, and he bent down, and blood came to the corner of his mouth.


    After stood steadily, he didn¡¯t say anything but wiped the blood from his mouth. His eyes were as calm as the still water in the pond. No anger or irony showed on his face.


    Ed paused a little and then nodded at Sam. Sam pointed his gun at Jimmy and let the woman leave. He forced Jimmy to walk to the van.


    At that moment, there was a sound of a gunshot from behind. Ed, who was walking back to the van, stiffened his back.


    Tristan saw it clearly in the van, and he opened the door and rushed out without thinking. He was still toote, and Ed fell on his back.


    The blood-soaked clothes on the chest. The gunshot at the fatal part.


    ¡°Ed!¡± Tristan squatted and cried with anger and sorrow. He held up Ed¡¯s head and said, ¡°Hold on.¡±


    Ed¡¯s face was as white as snow. He looked at his Boss¡¯s sad face and tried to smile, but his mouth just crooked, and he started to cough out blood. After a pause, he said, ¡°Do not regret, ¡°Boss, I do not regret. This is the better end than going to jail.¡±


    He had not yet finished thest word when his head fell aside and stopped moving.


    One of his hands was still grabbing Tristan¡¯s arm.


    Tears surged to Tristan¡¯s eyes.


    This man came to his side nine years ago when he was most frustrated in his life. And he stuck with him in life and death from then on. He used to be a sinful and heartless ouw, but he had never brought trouble to him. And at his request, he cut off his past. He had be his real brother.


    The memories since they first met shed in his mind.


    ¡­Ed, who was no more than 20 years old, stood with a tilted head and said, ¡°As long as I am not going to jail, I will do anything. It is not a ce for humans in there.¡±


    ¡­When he was about to end the life of his first foe, Ed said out of goodwill beside him, ¡°Boss, let me do this. Don¡¯t get your hand dirty.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡­After waiting for him a whole night in the car, Ed said slyly, ¡°Boss, is it good? Feel like the rain after a long drought?¡±


    All the vivid pictures shed in his mind.


    Tristan¡¯s hand that held Ed¡¯s head resumed calmness after trembling for sadness. He put down Ed, and at the same moment he stood up, he pulled the gun from Ed¡¯s waist quickly and pointed to Jimmy two meters away.

 Chapter 152: To Kill Tristan

    ¡°So this is your scheme?¡± Tristan said with a husky voice.


    Jimmy didn¡¯t show any panic being pointed by two guns. He also realized that the situation was out of control, but he had to beposed and said, ¡°It is an ident.¡±


    Tristan sneered, ¡°ident? Are you sure?¡±


    His eyes swept around, and his gun moved a little, and his fingers moved slightly, and a shriek came from the distance. Jimmy narrowed his eyes, and he ignored the barrel on his temple and turned back. He saw a policeman fall down.


    All the guns that were put down now were all picked up and pointed at the same target-Tristan.


    Jimmy raised his hand to stop them, and he stared at Tristan with anger, ¡°Are you crazy? You feel you haven¡¯t killed enough people?¡±


    Tristan didn¡¯t change his expression as if the person who killed the policeman was not him. His gun turned to point at Jimmy¡¯s head again, and he said unhurriedly, ¡°It is for my brother. Get Ed into the car.¡±


    Thest sentence was speaking to Sam.


    Sam put the gun away and walked to Ed, carrying him to the van.


    At that moment, there were only two men in the center of the open space. The vans and the dense crowd of policemen and police cars were but the background of them.


    Tristan¡¯s hand that held the gun was steady. He used a voice that only the two of them could hear and said, ¡°Do you think it is an ident just now? Are you sure the people behind you all have the same thoughts as you?¡±


    Jimmy didn¡¯t say anything. His lips pressed tightly into a line.


    Tristan smiled slightly and said sarcastically, ¡°They all have different aims.¡±


    Jimmy retorted, ¡°What makes you qualified to judge them?¡±


    ¡°This kind of people is good for me.¡± And then he changed the topic, ¡°By the way, I am d to see you still alive today.¡±


    Jimmy didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°So she would not bear a grudge against me.¡±


    Mentioning she made Tristan¡¯s voice gentler. And tenderness shed in Jimmy¡¯s eyes too, but it soon faded away. It didn¡¯t escape Tristan¡¯s eyes. He sighed in his heart and said seriously, ¡°Now, we have to bother you to send us to a ce.¡±


    Tristan stepped aside a little, but his gun never left the fatal part of Jimmy.


    The back door of the van was opened by the guard from inside, Jimmy walked to itposedly.


    However, as he just took the second step, he heard another very low but extremely familiar mechanical sound.


    He felt it was wrong and turned abruptly.


    He saw Tristan¡¯s eyes were stiff, and he stared at him. His finger was going to pull the trigger¡­


    It would be toote if Jimmy wanted to dodge.


    And he didn¡¯t dodge at all. He just turned his eyes to the back of Tristan. Among the background of dense policemen, he caught sight of Bill, who was not quick enough to put down his gun.


    ¡°Who the hell asked you to shoot?¡± he blurted out without thinking.


    And looking back at Tristan, he was going to shoot him with instinct, but after pausing a few seconds, he gave up. Blood surged from the back of his ear and flew into the cor.


    Everything happened unexpectedly in a short time and ended in this climax so soon.


    Jimmy¡¯s head was spinning, and his chest was full of anger. This action was¡­


    He had no time to continue his thought when he heard a heartbreaking cry outside the crowd, ¡°Tristan!¡±


    Jimmy turned to the source of the voice.


    The sky had the first morning light in the east.


    Behind the dark crowd stood a white gentle but not slim figure.


    Forty minutes earlier, Kate faked a falling in the bathroom and fooled ire and her colleague. They went out of the apartment, and they wanted to send her to the nearest hospital.


    The car sped all the way, and she curled up in the back seat with closed eyes and a pale face. She scared ire with her face, but in fact, her face turned pale because she heard ire said the action had begun.


    Maybe telepathy existed.


    Kate¡¯s heart suddenly jumped wildly in the middle of the way, and the baby in her belly started to rebel. It gave her a kick that the pain made her cry out. ire asked in a panic, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can you hang on for a moment? We will soon arrive at the hospital.¡±


    Originally Kate nned to escape when she got to the hospital, but she found she could not wait any longer. Her right eyelid was twitching, and it was proved that it was a bad sign two years ago. With ire¡¯s asking, she groaned and held her belly tightly and begged her, ¡°Stop the car.¡±


    Pregnant woman¡¯s order could not be ignored. The male policeman stopped the car immediately.


    Kate¡¯s hand on the holder of the door was fast in action. Almost the same time the car stopped, she opened the door and jumped down at an amazing speed for a pregnant woman.


    ire and her colleague were dumbfounded. It took them a few seconds to react and got out to chase her.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Kate ignored the shouting and warning behind her, and with the pumping of epinephrine, she bolted across the road and turned to another street. As she was thinking about running along the road or finding somece to hide, a ck van drove past her at high speed but turned abruptly back, and somebody was shouting at her from the window, ¡°Kate, get in the car!¡±


    Kate was startled.


    The face was not familiar, but the footsteps behind her got closer. The male policeman already had the gun in his hand and looked rmed.


    She could not think more and got into the car, and the person inside reached out his hand to pull her in. The car turned back and sped up in time before the male policeman fired a shot.


    After sitting down, Kate found the persons inside were all big brute guys. She recognized the driver who had once driven for her. And she also detected they had guns in their hands or on their waist. Her heart missed a leap, and she blurted out, ¡°Where is Tristan?¡±


    ¡°We are going to meet him.¡±


    However, when their car got to the construction site, what she saw was such a scene.

 Chapter 153: I鈥檓 Here With You

    In the circle of the crowd, the second the tall and straight figure she missed so much was going to fall, she heard herself call his name with all her strength without thinking. And he seemed to hear her calling and tried to turn back.


    Kate was anxious and called again, ¡°Tristan-¡±


    And then she witnessed him fall on his back with a thud.


    The van behind her was surrounded by armed police. The other two men got out of the van with her, and the others inside the van all raised their guns and shot.


    But all these had nothing to do with Kate.


    In her eyes, she only saw the slow-motion of Tristan¡¯s falling down. The thud crashed her eardrums and her heart. She could hear nothing else.


    She used the strength she had to push away the human wall. Somebody tried to grab her, and somebody¡¯s gun barrel touched her face, but she didn¡¯t care, and she just ran.


    Finally, she got to his side. Somebody caught her up, and she didn¡¯t bother to look but just pushed him away.


    She saw Tristan¡¯s body was still twitching, and she knelt down on the ground.


    His eyes stared nkly at the sky, and he seemed to know she was there, but he couldn¡¯t turn his eyes to her.


    At the back of his neck, the cor was soaked in blood.


    Kate stretched her hand and carefully held up his head to her arms. She whispered, ¡°Tristan, I am here.¡± She grabbed his hands in a seizure and held it tightly, ¡°I am here with you, Tristan.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    His eyes finally met hers, and there seemed to be a smile in his eyes, but it was probably her illusion.


    Her eyes were blurred by tears.


    She wiped her tears away, and when she looked at him again, he had already closed his eyes.


    And the hands stopped twitching.


    She opened her mouth but could only inhale and exhale air. After a few seconds, she managed to utter a sound as low as a mosquito humming, ¡°Don¡¯t go. Please, don¡¯t go¡­¡± And she finally found her voice and cried out louder, ¡°Please don¡¯t go, Tristan. Please¡­¡± And she burst into a loud cry.


    His face was still warm, and his hand intertwined with hers. How could he just leave?


    The things he promised her to do had not yet been done.


    He had not yet met his child¡­


    How could he just leave her alone¡­?


    The time stopped at that moment.


    In the dead silence, the woman¡¯s crying was more piercing than the siren. It has torn the dark night and crashed the eardrums of everybody. ire, who just arrived and stayed in the crowd, wiped her tears too.


    The day ended with her crying.


    Just a moment, the dark night faded away and was reced by a new dawn.


    Kate was too sad to notice that somebody approached until that man reached his hand to Tristan¡¯s nose and trembled with surprise. He said in a low voice, ¡°He is still breathing.¡±


    She seemed not understanding what he said and just stared at him nkly.


    Her face was drowned in tears.


    Jimmy¡¯s heart was aching. He repeated again word by word, ¡°He is still alive.¡± And then he didn¡¯t wait for her response and stood straight and waved to his man, ¡°Call the ambnce.¡±


    Kate had many dreams. In her dream, various lights intertwined and were confusing; a lot of faces were staring at her¡­the scenes of the dream were so real, and they made her extremely tired, and every piece of bone of her body was aching.


    When she finally opened her eyes, what she saw was only white and blue colors. Her nose detected some strange smell. The strange environment made her bewildered.


    ¡°You finally woke up.¡± Somebody said.


    She turned her head to the source of the voice, and it was a familiar face. It was Betty.


    She was startled and asked in a husky voice, ¡°Why did youe here? You didn¡¯t leave?¡±


    Betty showed some apology. She didn¡¯t know how to exin, so she prevaricated, ¡°Couldn¡¯t make it.¡±


    Kate drew back her eyes. And after a few seconds, she remembered what happened earlier, and her heart was seized by worry again. She asked, ¡°Where is he? How is Tristan?¡±


    ¡°He is still in the operation room.¡±


    Kate took a long breath, inhaling deeply. It was good news to her.


    It was the first time she felt that the operation room was such a good ce.


    However, as she looked down, her heart stopped beating. She was covered with a white quilt, and her belly was t. She cried out in shock and clenched Betty¡¯s hand, ¡°Where is my baby?¡±


    Betty¡¯s hand hurt with Kate¡¯s fingernails set into her skin. She could not react until a few secondster, ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡±


    ¡°Remember what?¡± Kate¡¯s face was in horror. Now she felt that her body was hurting below and fluid was flowing out¡­


    Betty padded her hand and said, ¡°The baby is okay. You just delivered it. Don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    Kate was bewildered. Betty reached her hand to wipe tears off her face and said softly, ¡°You were too nervous, and you forgot. You delivered it. The doctor said you did a good job and was very cooperative.¡±


    ¡°You are not lying to me?¡±


    ¡°No. How can I lie about this?¡±


    ¡°Then where is the baby?¡±


    ¡°It is a premature delivery. Six months only. Now in the ICU, in the incubator.¡±


    Kate rxed a little and then asked, ¡°Is it a girl or a boy?¡±


    ¡°Girl.¡±


    ¡°Is she healthy?¡± She got nervous again.


    Betty smile gently, ¡°Except that she came out too early and is weak, the doctor said she is okay. She is very small, but her crying is loud.¡±


    Kate smiled weakly, and tears also came out of her eyes, she started to cry.


    Betty tried to soothe her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It is not good for your recovery.¡±


    Kate suppressed her tears and turned from crying to sobbing. After a while, she quieted down. She said, ¡°I will not cry.¡±


    Betty pressed her lips and looked at her with sympathy. She squeezed Kate¡¯s hand in her palm as encouragement.


    In the OR room and the light on the door was off. A craniotomy thatsted 8 hours was just finished.


    The bullet had been taken out. The nurses collected the surgical instruments and left. Only the chief surgeon, dean of the hospital, and a few guards were there.


    The person on the surgery table was still, only the pieces of equipment beeped from time to time. The EEG was showingplicated diagrams¡­


    ¡°The bullet was in the calvarium and had not entered the cranial cavity, so, fortunately, he survived. However, the nervous system is still injured. The patient currently has cerebral cortex failure¡­¡±


    Jimmy frowned, ¡°Cerebral cortex failure?¡±


    ¡°That is what we call a vegetable.¡±


    Jimmy had a second silence and asked, ¡°What are the odds of waking up?¡±


    ¡°The odds are very small. Some specific cases of waking up can almost be regarded as a miracle. And the time is hard to tell. It could be a few months or one or two decades.¡±


    Jimmy looked at the patient on the bed again. His eyes were closed tightly, and his head was shaved. Many tubes connected to him and his face was covered with an oxygen mask. However, even in this state, he still showed his majesty.


    Perhaps it was because he always gave people that kind of feeling in the past.


    And now he looked like he was lurking there and waiting for a chance to attack.


    Jimmy muttered, ¡°Hemitted a felony. He needs to be tried.¡±


    The dean replied, ¡°We will try our best in treating the patient and cooperating with the police.¡±


    Jimmy thanked him.


    On the roof of the hospital building, the wind was whistling.


    A young man was making a call, ¡°¡­He was too lucky. Got shot in the head and still survived. He is a vegetable now. It cannot be a threat for the time being¡­ okay. I got it. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After he hung up the phone, Bill took a long breath and looked at his hands. It was hard to believe that the notable guy yesterday, who might be in the headline of the newspaper today, was almost killed by himself. Recalling that moment, his heart still went wild.


    When he soothed his emotion and turned back, he was dumbfounded.


    A person was standing at the exit.


    It was Jimmy, and he looked expressionless. However, he still could detect some disappointment in his eyes. He said to Bill, ¡°So that is why.¡±


    Bill panicked and exined hastily, ¡°That man deserved to die. He almost killed you¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever he did, he should be punished byws, not by us.¡±


    Jimmy turned and wanted to walk away. Bill saw things had exposed, and he was scared, ¡°Jimmy, I was forced to.¡±


    Jimmy waved his hand without turning back, ¡°You can keep those words for testimony.¡±

 Chapter 154: You Love Him So Much

    When Jimmy got back to the ward, Kate was asleep again. Betty, who was watching there, stood up and told him about Kate¡¯s status. And then she left to make a call.


    Jimmy sat down on the chair she left. He unbuttoned the top button near his cor and rxed a little bit.


    Kate¡¯s hair was spreading around the pillow. Her face was pale and fatigued. She was frowning as if she had something to worry about even in her dreams. However, she still gave out an air of peace and warmth. Perhaps that was the air of maternity.


    He had once told her that she gave people around her a feeling of rxing and made them have a desire to talk. Now he could no longer talk to her about his heart, but he still could feel rxed from inside to outside when he was in the same room with her.


    The room was too quiet.


    Her breathing was audible. It was rhythmic, slow, andsting each time, and it assuaged his anxiety. Jimmy had not slept much in the past few days. He stretched his legs and rubbed his temples, and dozed off leaning on the back of the chair.


    The vibration of his phone in the pocket woke him up, and he jerked forward. He took out the phone and saw the number and pressed it off. It was from Roger.


    He sighed and looked to the bed and met Kate¡¯s eyes.


    No surprise, no resentment. Her eyes were as peaceful as still water.


    He said apologetically, ¡°I woke you up?¡±


    ¡°How is he?¡± Her voice was low but revealed her nervousness.


    She had no more surprise or resentment because her mind was upied by that man¡¯s safety. He felt at a loss and said seriously, ¡°Kate, you have to be prepared¡­¡±


    Kate turned anxious and said with a trembling voice, ¡°Did he¡­¡± She didn¡¯t dare to say that word.


    ¡°He is still alive, but he is in a deepa.¡± Looking at her puzzled expression, Jimmy added, ¡°He is in a vegetative state now.¡±


    Her expression was still, in a mixture of lost and surprised. She said, oh, after a long time, and sighed.


    Jimmy frowned and said solemnly, ¡°It is my mistake to have that kind of situation there. I owe you an apology.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t respond to his words but just asked, ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°He is still in this hospital. Some procedures have to be done. If nothing unusual happens, he will stay here for some time.¡±


    Kate felt relieved a little at his words.


    So he was with her and her baby. The three of them, though on different floors, different wards, were still together, at least in the same building. And she gotforted and started to have a little hope. This shred of hope gave her the courage to live on.


    Jimmy watched the change of her expression and was amazed that she didn¡¯t copse in this disaster. Instead, she had new hope now. He was touched by her toughness.


    After a moment of silence, he heard Kate said, ¡°Jimmy, can I tell you something?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡±


    It was autumn, about over 20 years ago.


    In a farmer¡¯s family, a baby girl was born.


    When she was still using a baby¡¯s short eyesight to watch the world, on the same day and in a city thousands of miles away, a thirteen-year-old boy was having a cruel day¡­


    When she was held in her father¡¯s arms, that boy was holding his father¡¯s ashes urn.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    When she was ying with her ymates, he was hiding somewhere because of his burned face.


    When she was having a simple dinner with her family, he was working hard with his schoolwork and part-time jobs. What apanied him was his own long shadow on the lonely street when he got back home at a depth of the nights.


    When she was still troubled by the math problems in junior high, he had pointed the gun at the foe that broke his family. He must have other feelings besides the delight for revenge. Probably fear, disgust, or regret¡­


    Jimmy was shocked by the story.


    Everyone knew a young man started his business after receiving education abroad. Nobody knew the sad story behind it. He thought of himself at thirteen. He was concentrating on losing weight. His family business started to boom. His families wouldn¡¯t have less love for him no matter how busy they were.


    ¡°If he could take the legal way to get justice for his father, he would not have to use extreme means. If he had not been through the disaster at such a young age, he could be a nice and upright person like you.¡±


    Kate raised her head and looked at Jimmy, ¡°I want to say sorry for your Uncle Jack for him. And also say sorry for what he did to you.¡±


    ¡°In the past, I might not be able to say this to you, but now he had died¡­¡± She sniffed and said chokingly, ¡°at least in my heart, he had died once.¡±


    ¡°Could you please forgive him a little?¡±


    Her sincerity and apology could not be ignored. Jimmy kept silent for a while and didn¡¯t reply to her question, ¡°You love him so much.¡±


    After Jimmy left, Kate was still in a trance.


    She didn¡¯t know what it was to love a person. She just knew that when she saw him bleeding, she felt the blood was flowing out from her heart. The more he bled, the emptier her heart was. Her heart was withering.


    Jimmy walked out of the hospital and dialed the number of the missed call.


    Roger sounded gloomy, ¡°I didn¡¯t n well enough. I underestimated the corruption of the government officials. And I also put you in danger again. Now they are desperate, and the task followed would be more urgent and dangerous¡­¡±


    After he hung up the phone, Jimmy sighed to the sky. The sky was crystal clear and seemed not to tolerate any dirt. But in this world, sins and filth were everywhere, and people were incapable of removing them.


    In the evening, Betty took Kate to the ICU to see her daughter.


    Outside the ss wall, Betty pointed to one in an incubator and said, ¡°That is her.¡±


    Kate looked at it and eximed, ¡°She is so small.¡±


    Inside the clear box, the little thing had not opened her eyes. She could not tell if she was pretty or ugly. She was like a weak kitty.


    ¡°The doctor said she had to stay here for two months until she grew bigger.¡± Bettyforted her.


    Kate¡¯s fingers drew the outline of her daughter on the ss and said, ¡°How I hope I can hold her!¡±

 Chapter 155: Why Do You Have To Kill Him?

    It happened that the nurse came to feed the baby. The premature infant¡¯s lungs had not yet fully developed and could not suck the milk itself. When the nurse took away the milk bottle, the little thing seemed not to have enough and was unwilling to let go of the rubber nipple. After the nurse left, her mouth was still searching for the nipple, but soon she fell asleep again. She looked sweet and cute in sleep.


    Kate¡¯s eyes were wet again, and warmth filled up her chest. Her daughter had been in her belly for less than 200 days and came to this world in advance. She was now an individual and had to survive alone. As her mother, Kate felt proud of her. So the mother had no reason not to be strong. So did he, because the strong gene of the child came half from him.


    Kate watched her sleep for quite a long time, and she said to Betty, ¡°I hope I can nurse it with my breast milk.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°You will. As soon as she gets better, you can feed her.¡± Looking at Kate¡¯s baby, Betty thought of her baby that she lost. Then she sighed and asked, ¡°Does she have a name?¡±


    ¡°He said before. Catherine for a girl and Michael for a boy.¡±


    Kate¡¯s face was lit up by gentleness, ¡°My dear Cathy.¡±


    Depth of night.


    ire drove to a house in a secluded ce in the downtown area.


    Jimmy was here as she guessed. It was the ce he had lived alone for several months. Now he was sitting on the step of the porch and smoking.


    ire walked over and said, ¡°Don¡¯t catch a cold staying outside for too long.¡±


    ¡°It is good here. The coldness makes me lucid.¡±


    ire sat down with him as he didn¡¯t get up. She told him about the meeting in the afternoon, ¡°Bill confessed. The call you overheard was calling Harry Jackson. He said Jackson helped his family before. The one who shot Ed and then was shot by Tristan instead was some kind of rtive of the ex-chief of LA Customs. He must be ordered to irritate Tristan so that they have an excuse to kill Tristan. He didn¡¯t expect to lose his own life there.¡±


    It took Jimmy a long time to rely upon, ¡°We should be happy that Bill is a lousy shooter. If the bullet is 1mm closer, Tristan would be dead immediately.¡±


    ire turned to him and asked, ¡°Are you feeling sad for Bill?¡±


    ¡°There are many obstacles for this case. The obstacle from above is easy to deal with, but the betrayal of your teammates in a critical moment is¡­¡± Jimmy sighed, and they didn¡¯t even care about him being pointed by a gun, ¡°honestly, it¡¯s chilling.¡±


    ire thought about it and said, ¡°Most of the people follow wealth and fame. Police are no exception. The characteristics of the job make them have to deal with all kinds of temptation and threat. Not everyone could sustain the testing all the time.¡± She stopped for a while and then said, ¡°We cannot give up our faith because of some individual cases.¡±


    Jimmy looked at her with surprise and said half-jokingly, ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to be such a warrior.¡±


    ire grimaced and said in her heart, ¡°I learned from you.¡±


    The battle had not finished yet.


    Or, to be more exact, another more severe battle was going to begin.


    In this winter, LA¡¯s political circle had a roaring current under the stiff water. Somebody had ants in his pants; somebody pulled strings to save his ass; somebody lobbied around to conceal their crimes.


    Three dayster, Harry got a phone call in his study. The caller had a sorrowful voice, ¡°What can I do now, Harry?¡±


    ¡°Nothing can be done now.¡±


    Harry¡¯s well-preserved face didn¡¯t have theplexion as before. His face was now as white as the paper of a letter spreading on the table, on which the signature was Charley Foster.


    Owen went back home and saw his father stood by the bookshelf and was looking at a Picasso work hanging on the wall. It was just a copy.


    ¡°Dad, when will you go to Washington?¡±


    Harry¡¯s hand clenched to fist, and he said, ¡°Probably will not go.¡±


    Owen was puzzled, but his father asked, ¡°You wrote an anonymous letter that blew the whistle on Chasin Group, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Owen was startled, but he knew his father was an old policeman, and he could not fool him, so he nodded.


    ¡°Stupid.¡± Harry¡¯s tone was harsh, ¡°Why made such an ungrounded usation? If he knew it, you might prepare for his revenge.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t find out, did he?¡±


    Harry stared at him and said, ¡°You thought Tristan Fox could not find out who did it?¡± He pushed the files on the table to the floor and made a big sound. Owen was scared and backed off.


    ¡°It is just because you have a father.¡± He was getting angrier and angrier, ¡°I thought you just bear grudge at him because of a woman. I didn¡¯t expect you to make such trouble.¡±


    After he vented his anger, he controlled his breath and then said solemnly, ¡°If I am not here, I expect you to take care of the family, take care of your sister. But how can I count on you?¡±


    Owen didn¡¯t expect his tricks to be known by his father. And when he heard about this, he thought of the rumorstely. He began to worry, ¡°Dad, Chasin¡¯s case, did you¡­get involved?¡±


    Harry could not maintain his dignity in front of his son. He got very annoyed and turned to the window. After a while, he said, ¡°Who do you think paid for your college education abroad and your sister¡¯s expensive surgeries?¡±


    Owen¡¯s heart sank to the bottom of the sea. He still didn¡¯t give up the hope, ¡°Don¡¯t we have a factory?¡±


    Years ago, Harry took advantage of his job, purchased crafts and art factories under the name of one rtive. He sneered when he heard his son mention it. ¡°The factory could not make ends meet for a long time. It is just a cover for some ie. I supported the family with the dividend Tristan gave me.¡±


    Owen¡¯s face was colorless.


    And for the further rtions with Tristan, Harry could not tell his son.


    Both the father and the son were pondering, and the study was deadly silent.


    The silence was maintained for about a quarter until it was interrupted by the doorbell downstairs. The maid went to open the door, and there was an unfamiliar voice, ¡°US attorney¡­¡±


    Harry sighed and pulled his shirt straight, looked again at his dumbfounded son, and when out of the room.


    The two people in uniforms said solemnly when they saw Harry Jackson, ¡°Harry Jackson. We need you to go to the police station. You have the right to maintain silence¡­¡±


    Owen chased out and said with reddened eyes, ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    Harry stopped and said to him, ¡°Your sister is not fully recovered. Don¡¯t tell her about this.¡± And then he turned and left with the two people.


    The heavy wooden door was closed in Owen¡¯s face.


    Owen remained in the middle of the living room, and his face was as pale as a dead person.


    When Jessie came to him, Owen just drank alcohol and curled up on the couch.


    The woman was pale and gaunt, and it took him a long time to recognize she was his goddess. He managed to stand up and said, ¡°Jessica¡­How are you?¡±


    He saw her take out a piece of paper and gave it to him. He took it in puzzlement and squinted to see the words on it. ¡°Induced Abortion,¡± it said.


    ¡°It is your child.¡±


    Jessica¡¯s voice was terribly calm. ¡°I haven¡¯t slept with another man in the past half-year.¡±


    Seeing the man¡¯s expression of a mixture of shock and hurt, she was hurt too. She had waited for love for many years, and she had not regretted it. However, what she got was not what she wished for. She was desperate. And she was scared to see the real human nature.


    Owen got spared because of the shock. He questioned, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know about that. The child is gone anyway.¡±


    He suddenly fell to the ground and cried, ¡°Jessica, how could you be so heartless?¡±


    ¡°It is you who are heartless!¡± Jessica suppressed the bitterness in her heart, ¡°Tristan didn¡¯t get in your way. Why do you have to kill him?¡±


    ¡°He is in my way. Wherever he goes, he still upies your heart. Unless he died, I could not have your heart¡­¡± He became hysterical and shouted.


    Jessie looked at him with shock and disgust. She said coldly, ¡°Owen, we grew up together. I know you are nice to me. You have been with me all the time, and nobody is nicer to me than you are. But do you know why I can never fall in love with you? It¡¯s because you are narrow-minded. Of course, I am no better person, but I am honest. I don¡¯t y dirty tricks to get what I want. We are not the same kind of people.¡±


    After she said that, she left and the door was closed again.


    A few hours earlier, Owen thought he had finally removed the obstacle on the road to his happiness. A few hourster, now, his father was taken away with unknown fate; he was told that his child was gone, and so was his love of life¡­


    He had nothing now.


    And this was all done by himself.


    Owen copsed onto the couch and cried.

 Chapter 156: Do You Know What A Family Is?

    Soon, half a month had passed again.


    Kate could have got out of the hospital and stayed at home, but her child and Tristan were all in the hospital, she wanted to stay so that in her mentality, she could feel that the families were still together, in one building.


    The next day Cathy was born, Laura brought food to the ward. Kate then learned from her what had happened after she was missing. Tristan arranged for her to live in a condo, and Lucy was taken there too. The day when Tristan was shot, the vi was sealed up by police. In the condo Laura stayed, there was room for Kate and the baby.


    Kate was shocked again. He had thought about this before.


    He was so considerate.


    Kate had to be interrogated by the police for half a day when she was still in the hospital. The interrogation was carried on in a special ward. To most of the questions, police asked, she replied with silence. Because there was no evidence that she got involved in Tristan¡¯s case, and also because they were not even a registered couple, they drew the conclusion that she had nothing to do with the case.


    It was just that in the middle of the interrogation, a solemn female policeman¡¯s eyes kept sweeping her fingers and fixed on her ring. Kate didn¡¯t hide as before. Her hands stay in the same ce without moving.


    Later before the interrogation ended, the female policeman finally asked, ¡°You look like a nice girl. How did you end up being with this kind of person?¡± Her tone showed puzzlement as well as disappointment.


    Kate looked into her eyes and said slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to answer this question.¡±


    Without going out to the streets or watching TV, or reading the newspaper, Kate knew Chaisn¡¯s case caused an uproar in public. And a lot of government officials were fired and being investigated. The civilians were d about the incident and chatted about it over tea. Tristan wasn¡¯t ying a good guy in this y.


    Every time she went to see her daughter, some of the nurses might be pointed to her and chatted. She ignored them. After the interrogation, she always muttered to her daughter outside the ss wall, ¡°Never mind about them. They knew nothing.¡±


    Right. They knew nothing.


    And she didn¡¯t want to exin.


    In the afternoon, Kate had three special guests to her ward.


    They were her mother, eldest sister who learned the news about her and came back from her hometown, and Max, who went to pick them up from the train station.


    The traveling and worry made her mother look much older than Kate saw her about a month ago. Kate didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s questioning and discussing, but faced with her own families, she felt sorry and guilty.


    Her simple and rustic mother didn¡¯t me her or cried. She just said, ¡°Come back home. Your father and I will help you take care of the child.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, mom.¡± Kate¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, ¡°I cannot go now. He is my family, the father of my child. I cannot leave him.¡±


    Her mother was upset and puzzled. ¡°He put you in this, and you still want to be with him?¡±


    ¡°No, he has not done anything bad to me.¡±


    If he said he had done anything to her, he made her not able to leave him.


    They had too many stories, and now they were tangled together and could separate or from each other or tell who owed who.


    Persuaded and reasoned by Max, Kate¡¯s eldest sister, and Betty, Kate¡¯s mother finally gave up getting Kate back home, and she went to see her grand-daughter. She eximed with reddened eyes, ¡°How small she is! It is a miracle that she can survive.¡±


    She asked her eldest daughter to take out a new small nket from the suitcase. It was sewn by her for her grand-daughter.


    Kate bit her lips to prevent herself from crying.


    On the day when Kate¡¯s daughter was one month old, Kate left the hospital first.


    She moved to the condo where Laura stayed. Not seen for over a month, Lucy turned much slimmer. In the new environment, it looked quite different too.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The crib and toys in the baby room were familiar. They were what she bought. And in the study, most of the things were hers. Only some were his important files.


    When she was in the hospital, ording to the rules, she could not visit Tristan, but thanks to Jimmy¡¯s help, she got a chance to go to see him once. She stared at him without blinking. Under the watch of a policeman, she reached her hand to touch Tristan¡¯s face. After confirming his temperature, she felt much at ease. In the following days, she lived with that memory and recalled him while looking at the few pieces of things that belonged to him.


    Kate called Daisy. She had gone back to college to work on her graduation essay. Kate spoke straightly, ¡°Do you still want to go to study abroad?¡±


    Daisy didn¡¯t expect her to mention this again, and she was startled. Kate continued, ¡°I will mail you something. It is for your studying abroad, but I have a condition. You know our elder sister has her family to take care of. So you and Max have to take care of mom and dad.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s attention was on the other thing, ¡°So you n to stick with him all your life? You cannot tell when he will¡­¡±


    Kate interrupted her, ¡°I don¡¯t need your support on my choice. If you want to go to Europe, then you let me know your decision. I know you don¡¯t want to owe me, so you can take this as trading. I will use this to buy me peace.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you don¡¯t like him when he has everything. And now he is like this, and you want to stick with him.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a family is?¡±


    The next day, Kate started to strive for her family.


    She had breast milk now, and it was quite abundant. So she collected it in a bottle and sent it to the hospital to feed her daughter every day. She went with Laura to her church to pray. Laura said she prayed that her son could be admitted to Harvard, and of course, her son was smart and diligent, so God helped her to have her wishe true. Kate believed God should grant her wish too.


    ***


    The following days were spent in the same way until her daughter was dismissed from the hospital.


    The little girl had substantial change. She had full gold hair and fair skin, sculptured facial features that resembled her when she was a child. She was still mini, but she was definitely a beauty. She wore the coat her grandma made for her and looked as cute as the pictures in the photographic studio.

 Chapter 157: The Shawshank Redemption

    She gave birth to her, but the first time she could hold her was two months ago. She could not put her down for a second. The little thing ate well, slept well, and seldom cried. She liked to be held in her mother¡¯s arms and went around each room. Her eyes would widen with curiosity, and she chased the fat cat whenever she saw it.


    Jimmy had visited once and sent a special gift.


    After he was gone, Kate took the little bear to her daughter¡¯s crib. She pressed the button, and the bear started to dance and sang. After the song she sang, another piece of music started.


    The familiar music brought tears to Kate¡¯s eyes. After the familiar piano prelude, she heard the mellow voice. ¡°Hush, little baby, don¡¯t say a word. Papa¡¯s gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird won¡¯t sing, Papa¡¯s gonna buy you a diamond ring¡­¡±


    This time he sang much more fluently thanst time. Kate put her hand to her mouth and turned her back to her daughter. Her daughter opened her big eyes and listened quietly.


    The case was like a ck vortex, aroused great sensation in the nation, and swallowed many government officials in LA. Many of them lost their career, and some even lost their lives or were put behind bars. Over one hundred persons in the police and customs system were involved in the case. Governor Madison¡¯s political career was ruined.


    In the following half years, new officials take office gradually and finally got in the zone. Mayor Donald Harderson, who had been busy with the changing of the posts for this period, took the chance to resign for health reasons.


    On a very nice autumn afternoon, he took the train and came to another city in the state.


    He took a cab and went to a cemetery in a suburban area.


    The cemetery was small and inconspicuous, but it was clean and orderly. Phoenix trees were nted along the fence of the cemetery. The thick, sturdy, and tall trunks and the broad crowns with golden leaves gave them an air of dignity.


    After asked the guard, Donald found the grave.


    On the dark marble headstone, two names were written: Simon Foster, Eileen Carroll.


    Nothing more was written on the stone. The style resembled the persons who lived under it.


    Donald recalled this brother, and tears rimmed his eyes. He bowed and said, ¡°Simon, Ie to see you now. I am sorry foring sote¡­¡±


    What replied to him was only the murmur of the winds among the phoenix trees.


    I want to be your brother again when we meet in heaven.


    I want to pay you back.


    The golden leaves flew in the air, and some dropped under his feet. That day was not far away.


    It was a miracle to see a child growing.


    Eight-month-old Cathy was chubby and lively. She could climb now, and when she smiled, there were two dimples on the corners of her mouth. She was active and frisky but not clingy. She could spend half a day ying with toys on her own.


    The center of Kate¡¯s life was her daughter. And she still went to church every Sunday. She liked to stay behind when the preaching was over. The quiet and lonely church had a peaceful air. She prayed for peace and safety for her family only.


    One day after she got out of the church, she saw a brand-new dark Pajero. She had some hunch, and she saw the door opened, and Jimmy jumped down.


    ¡°Youe to the church?¡± Kate asked with puzzlement.


    Jimmy shook his head. ¡°Ie to see you. I heard that you came here every week.¡±


    ¡°You heard?¡±


    Jimmy smiled awkwardly, ¡°You know, our job requires us to be well-informed.¡±


    Tristan was still in aa, and another important person of the Chasin Group, Chapman Hacker, fled to Mexico and disappeared before the action started. Those arrested were all small guys of the group. So the police had been monitoring Kate. Kate had detected something. She felt she was followed whenever she went out. And she even suspected that they had bugged her condo. However, she had done nothing, so she didn¡¯t have anything to worry about.


    After Kate got into Jimmy¡¯s car, Jimmy said, ¡°I have good news for you today.¡±


    He waited for a second and then said, ¡°Your request for visiting has been approved.¡±


    Kate¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jimmy was awarded for his excellent performance in this action and was promoted. So he tried to help Kate get what she wanted, as long as it did not vite the principles.


    ¡°But,¡± seeing her expectation and persistence, Jimmy didn¡¯t bear to see her be disappointed in the end, ¡°I have talked with the doctors. They said that until now, there isn¡¯t a shred of sign showing that he will wake up¡­¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t mind about it. ¡°No news is good news.¡±


    After a while, she muttered, ¡°It means there is still hope. I saw a line, ¡®Hope is a good thing.¡¯ in a movie.¡±


    ¡°The Shawshank Redemption.¡±


    ¡°You saw it.¡±


    Jimmy smiled. ¡°Well, the World Trade Center will have an inauguration ceremony on Saturday. Are youing to see?¡±


    On Sunday, Kate took her daughter to Tristan¡¯s ward.


    There was an armed policeman at the door of the ward. Cathy was curious and reached her hand to touch his uniform. Kate stopped her immediately and smiled apologetically at him. A bold girl. Afraid of nothing.


    Inside the ward, the monitors beeped.


    When she saw the person lying on the bed, tears rimmed her eyes. His expression was calm and peaceful. She thought these days were probably the most peaceful days in his life.


    Kate¡¯s daughter reached her chubby hand to wipe the tears from her face.


    They only got half an hour, and they had to take good advantage of the time. Kate held her daughter to his side and told her gently, ¡°Cathy, this is daddy.¡±


    This one was more real than the daddy in the picture. Her daughter was curious and bent towards him and seemed to want to get close to him.


    When Kate held her closer, her hand reached to touch her father¡¯s big hand immediately.


    Looking at the big hand and tiny hand together, Kate¡¯s heart was overwhelmed with emotions. She said softly, ¡°Do you feel it? This is your child, our child.¡±


    The little thing bent down her head and started to bite. She was growing teeth now and would bite whatever she could get her hands on. Kate didn¡¯t stop her and just watched her made a few tooth marks on her father¡¯s finger and left some of her mouth water. She turned back to watch her mother¡¯s reaction and smiled and showed the little dimples¡­


    A few dayster, Kate got a phone call. It was from Jessie, who she had not seen for a long time.


    Jessie made an appointment with her at the caf¨¦ on the first floor of the World Trade Center.


    After they met, Jessie said, ¡°This is the ce he was waiting to see.¡±


    Kate nodded, ¡°I brought him a photo when I visited him.¡±


    Jessie paused a little after heard her words. And then she smiled with relief, ¡°Ie to say goodbye to you today.¡±


    Kate was surprised, ¡°Where are you going to?¡±


    ¡°Abroad. Traveling. With my father.¡± She sighed. ¡°He endeavored on work with all his heart and soul. He had a dreary life. I hope he can go to see more beautiful scenery in the remainder of his life.¡±


    Kate detected something was wrong and saw Jessie¡¯s eyes reddened, ¡°He got cancer. Terminal.¡±


    Jessie said sincerely, ¡°The first time I saw you, I thought you were a useless person. And then I thought you were too weak, didn¡¯t deserve him. Now I think you are much better than I am. I will not have to worry about him with you being with him.¡±


    When they got out of the caf¨¦, Jessie said, ¡°Want a drive?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Kate shook her head, ¡°No, thanks. I will take the bus.¡±


    Jessie didn¡¯t insist, and she said, ¡°I am not going to hug you, but let¡¯s shake hands for goodbye.¡±


    Watching her put on the big sunsses that covered half of her face and drive that ostentatious red sports car away, Kate couldn¡¯t help recalling the images two years ago. She was struck by a lot of emotions when she walked to the bus station.


    Not until she got on the bus, walked to the empty seat in thest row, and sat down did she slowly open her palm. Inside her palm was a crumpled paper ball.


    She spread it and found a series of numbers that looked like a telephone number.


    And in the end, it wrote C. H.

 Chapter 158: History Of Love

    Three yearster.


    It was a sunny afternoon. Jimmy was sitting on a couch and flipped through a magazine. Chatting and giggling in low voices came from the fitting room.


    After a long time, the door was opened, and a bright white light shone into the room.


    Jimmy raised his eyes from the magazine and could not help eximing.


    It was stunning.


    Just imagine a woman who had never shown up in front of you suddenly wore a dress and not an ordinary dress, and the result was totally beyond your expectation¡­ Jimmy was dizzy for a moment.


    ¡°History of love?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Two minutester, Jimmy got back to the couch, and his cousin widened her inquisitive eyes and urged him, ¡°Come on. You will have to tell them about the wedding anyway.¡±


    Jimmy raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Then you will hear about the wedding.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shirley shook his arm and said, ¡°I am your cousin. I need to know before others.¡±


    His cousin was his fan when they were children. Now she was studying abroad, and this time she came back to be the maid of honor. Her badgering wore Jimmy out, and he finally said, ¡°Okay. That is it. You know I am thirty years old now. My mother started to urge me to get married. You know the proportion of males and females in the police circle. There is only one woman being detected by my radar¡­¡±


    Before he finished his words, a UFO was rushing to his head.


    Jimmy raised his hand to catch it with instinct. It was a fabric bear. The shooter was standing a few meters away, holding the hem of the wedding dress and pouting yfully.


    And the next second, she waved to the other person, ¡°Shirley,e here. Help me pick.¡±


    Shirley grimaced at her cousin and ran to the girl in a wedding dress.


    Jimmy looked at the silly looking bear that wore a suit and ties and thought of his cousin¡¯s question. He started to recall-


    She was first a colleague, a friend, and a little girl that liked to follow him. But their rtionship remained unchanged until the ident.


    The first person he saw when he opened his eyes from the longa was her, who stayed by her bedside. He could never forget her expression-surprised, happy, and tears surging up.


    And she went to see him every day after work, whether it was sunny or stormy. He told her that the nurse would take care of him, but she said the nurse could not do everything. And he was lonely and bored. Because of the special properties of the case, besides the doctors and nurses, he could only see Roger and her. The sickness and boring life in the hospital made him miss his family very much. And her being there gave him the feeling of friendship and family love.


    And the time when their rtions had substantial change was a year ago.


    They got a tough case. Three young females were murdered in the city within a short time of two months. The murderer was morbid and cruel. The autopsy report stated that the females, though killed in different ways, we¡¯re all sexually assaulted a couple of hours after they died. The victims were all white-cordies at the age of 20-25, fair looking and all have short hair.


    The series¡¯ killing causes bad social impact, and the whole city was talking about the morbid killer.


    And the CA Police required them to crack the case asap.


    The clues of that case were limited, and after the police started the investigation and searched on spots that the killer might appear, the killer seemed to smell the danger and vaporized into the air.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    As the deadline the state police bureau set was closing, there was no new development on the cracking of the case at all. The public and media gave them great pressure too. Jimmy and his teammates felt extremely anxious.


    On thest night before the deadline, Jimmy, who was having a meeting in the police office, received a text message.


    The content was only an address, and the sender was ire.


    His heart was tightened. He thought of the abnormal behaviors of ire the past few days. He called the other two colleagues and headed to the address immediately.


    When they found that house and broke in, they found there was on-going fighting in the basement.


    The three persons rushed to the basement and brought a big, robust, and devilish looking man under control.


    Looking at ire, her hair was messy; her mouth was bruised, and her tank tops strap was broken. Jimmy took off his coat and threw it to her, and then turned back to kick the man furiously. His two colleagues stopped him and dragged him away.


    There was only a chair in the basement, and it was bound with some wires. Jimmy could not say anything looking at the scene. ire took out the recording pen from her jeans pocket and gave it to him.


    The suspect was taken to the police office for interrogation.


    After cleaning up, ire went out to the corridor and saw Jimmy leaning on the rail, smoking, and his face dark.


    ire said carefully, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    He threw away the cigarette and walked to her. His tone was harsh, ¡°Are you crazy or stupid?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to crack the case asap.¡±


    ¡°Crack the case asap?¡± Jimmy got annoyed, ¡°So many people in our team. You wouldn¡¯t take the responsibility alone if we had not aplished our mission. Do you know how stupid that was? If we arrived a littleter, you would be burnt to a wood log by electricity.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± ire pitched her voice, ¡°I saw you so anxious every day. I just wanted to help you.¡±


    Jimmy was shocked.


    ¡°I wanted you to notice me. We have known each other so long, and you never treated me seriously. You don¡¯t think I am a qualified policeman.¡±


    She was so scared that night. Being a policeman for a few years, it was the first time she acted alone. And it was unknown to anybody. If Jimmy had not received the text in time or if he dyed a little¡­ He was right. She could not imagine it now.


    Jimmy pressed his lips into a line and held her shoulders and padded her on the back, ¡°Okay. It is not that I didn¡¯t think you are a qualified policeman. You are the onlydy on our team. I have to take care of you.¡±


    ¡°You never treat me like ady either.¡± ire retorted.


    Jimmy smirked, ¡°Okay. I will treat you as a policedy from now on.¡±


    In the interrogation room, the man admitted the crimes hemitted.


    His girlfriend who he had rtions with for many years, cheated on him and dumped him for a rich man. When he found that they had got married and moved to another country, he had nowhere to vent his anger. He started to take revenge on girls that resembled his girlfriend. During the interrogation, the killer described the details of his torturing and killing of the girls proudly.


    ire¡¯s face turned colorless after she saw the video of the interrogation.


    Jimmy reached for her hand. Her fingers were freezing. He sighed and squeezed her hand.


    When everything was over and the day broke, ire didn¡¯t dare to go home because her face had some bruises, and she didn¡¯t want her mom and dad to see it.


    Jimmy took her to his house and let her live in the guest room. She took a shower and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she woke up, it was almost noon. Jimmy was waiting in the living room.


    He waited until she sat down and said, ¡°I thought about itst night. I think I have responsibility for what happened to you. I didn¡¯t care about you enough. I put you at risk. It is lucky that you didn¡¯t get hurt, or I could not forgive myself. I¡­¡±


    He stopped for a moment, and ire looked at him.


    He took a deep breath and went on, ¡°I would kill that bastard if I was not a policeman.¡± He ground his teeth with hatred.


    ire¡¯s eyes were wet.


    They both seemed to feel something changed between them.


    Jimmy tried to behave normally and changed to a joking tone, ¡°Okay, change your clothes, policedy. I will take you to have brunch.¡±


    ire went to the bathroom to clean up. She looked at herself in the mirror and cried andughed like a nut.

 Chapter 159: Should We Go Back?

    Four years ago, she graduated from police college and came to this LA Police section with a few other young men. The person who received them was a tall and nice-looking young policeman. He took up the name list and read slowly, ¡°Bob Lean Bruce, Frank George Cole, ire Apple Trees?¡±


    The new guysughed. She flushed and said, ¡°It is Trice.¡± Her name got her into trouble whenever she went to a new ce.


    And after she got familiar with the nice-looking colleague, he sometimes would call her, ¡°Hey, Apple Trees. Come here and help me.¡± She would always bounce to his side.


    A monthter, after they cracked the morbid killer case, Jimmy and ire had their wedding in a hotel.


    The groom was known to be good-looking all the time. And he looked even better in a tailor-made ck suit and caught a lot of eyeballs who happened to pass thewn of the hotel. However, who really stunned the guests was the bride, who was always in uniform and without wearing makeup usually. For this day, ire had not cut her hair for three months and had it grow to shoulder length. Now she finally could have an updo bride hairstyle. And after put on her makeup, the bridal crown, and veil, wedding dress, she was totally different from the tomboy she used to be.


    When they walked together on thewn to the flower arch, the guests whose eyes followed them all felt jealous of them.


    Linda Galvin was among the guests. She brought a little boy with a cunning little head.


    When the screen yed a photo of Jimmy and ire in police uniform, the boy jumped up and cried out excitedly, ¡°I want to be a policeman too!¡± apanied by a gesture of pointing a gun.


    Everyoneughed, and Linda smiled awkwardly.


    Jimmy walked to him and touched his shoulder, ¡°Hey. Before you being a policeman, you have to protect your mom, okay?¡±


    The little boy looked at him with admiration and nodded hard.


    The wedding was merry and lively. The guests had great fun.


    Only one person Jimmy invited didn¡¯t show up. She was afraid hering would ruin the atmosphere there. She had invited the two to-be-couple to dinner two weeks before the wedding.


    When she said the restaurant name, Jimmy was a little startled because it was the restaurant he had dinner with her the first time.


    Kate took her daughter to dinner. Cathy, who was less than four years old, was cute and smart, speaking like an adult. She brought fun to everyone around her.


    ire took an excuse to buy Cathy ice cream and left Kate and Jimmy alone.


    As the person who was excited about the atmosphere left, the booth suddenly was too quiet.


    The two persons¡¯ appearance was not much different from five years ago, but the expression in their eyes and the air around them were distinct. They had all shed the naivete and carefreeness and reced them with responsibility and maturity. Let bygones be bygones and live in the moment-that was the attitude adults should take.


    ¡°I heard that the hospital had issued critical ill notices twice. Is it true?¡± Jimmy showed worry in his eyes.


    Kate nodded, ¡°Yes. Liver and Kidneys have problems.¡±


    Her face and voice were all peaceful, but under the peace, there seemed to be suppressed agony.


    Jimmy felt hard for her and said, ¡°Kate, whatever happens, you have to hold on.¡±


    ¡°I will. I have to because I have Cathy.¡± And then she shifted the topic, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that. So your wedding ising. I need to give a toast for you and ire.¡± She lifted the wine bottle and poured it into his ss.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your help all the time.¡±


    Jimmy drank up the wine and smiled bitterly, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t me me.¡±


    The next day after the wedding, Jimmy and ire flew to the Maldives for their honeymoon. They had saved one month¡¯s vacation in the past few years working. Of course, they didn¡¯t expect to have such a long vacation; a few days being alone should be enough for them.


    Walking along the crystal clear water and snow-white beach, Jimmy received a call from the States. After putting back the cell phone in his pocket, he looked gravely to the sea. ire, who was bouncing a few meters away from him, sensed something wrong and ran to him, ¡°What¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°He has gone.¡±


    ¡°Two am this morning. Kidney failure.¡±


    Jimmy looked at the trestle bridge in the water, and the memory of thest meeting with Kate shed in his mind.


    Kate told him that if it was God¡¯s will to take him away, then she could not stop it.


    ¡°Should we go back? Kate might need someone to help her?¡± ire asked.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Jimmy scrutinized her face, and she exined hastily, ¡°I don¡¯t mind. She is your friend and thus my friend¡­¡±


    Jimmy took up her hand and said, ¡°She is my friend, but you are my wife. We are on our honeymoon now.¡±


    They walked along with the coast hand in hand. Jimmyforted her, ¡°She got somebody else to help her with the funeral. She might need help, but we are not the right people to help her with this.¡±


    The water climbed to the beach, crashed, and created some small white foam, and faded away. And in a regr interval, water climbed up again¡­


    Some emotions belonged to the past, and the boundary had to be set. And the boundary had to be abided by. Now what he could give her were his best wishes.


    ¡°The smallest country in the world?¡±


    ¡°Vatican.¡±


    ¡°The biggest¡­¡±


    ¡°Russia.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I knew you would answer this.¡± The girl sitting on the passenger¡¯s seat had soft and shining hair. Under the neat bangs were her bright big green eyes. She showed some cunning expression in her eyes, and her little hands searched the window. She spoke artictely, ¡°I asked the biggest animal in the world.¡±

 Chapter 160: You Believe In God?

    Kate knew her daughter¡¯s trick and said, ¡°Blue whale.¡±


    ¡°Right. Okay, 10 points.¡±


    Unlike her contemporary, Cathy had no interest in stories of prince and princess. Her bedtime reading was a children¡¯s encyclopedia. They read it the night before, and then the next morning, they quizzed each other on the way to school.


    Fifteen minutes¡¯ drive to Cathy¡¯s school. Five-year-old Cathy had not been to kindergarten in the States, and when they came over here, she went to the primary school directly. Kate was worried that she could not get used to school life, but after a few days in school, Cathy told her mother that her ssmates thought she was cute and smart. ¡°Everyone likes me.¡±


    When they stopped at the gate of the school, two 5-6 years old boys ran over and called Cathy¡¯s name. They dragged her and ran into the ssroom. Cathy said they were her boyfriend number one and boyfriend number two. ¡°Boys are trouble, you know¡­¡± She told her mom.


    Kate smiled. Her girl was liked by others. She was happy about it.


    Cathy turned her head back over her shoulder and shouted bye-bye to her mother while running with the boys to the ssroom.


    Kate stood where she was for a long time after her daughter disappeared inside the building. She got back into the car and started the engine, and turned on the music. The air was filled with Westlife¡¯s youthful voices.


    She pulled up her hair and made a bun hastily when she left home. Now some strands of hair got loose and fell beside her ear. She pushed them behind her ear. She rolled up the sleeves of her dark blue wind coat to the elbow and showed her fair and shapely forearms. The ring on her right hand blistered under the sun.


    She was going to visit a friend.


    Her friend¡¯s name was Sarah. She came out to the porch with her 6-month big belly. This was her third child. A pair of 4-year-old twin boys wearing pajamas was ying in the yard, running and crying.


    Kate brought a basket of cupcakes she baked this morning. The twins smelt the food and ran by immediately. They took one and sent it to their mouth immediately and said inartictely, ¡°Thank you, Auntie Kate.¡±


    Sarah stared at them and then grabbed them by the arm and ordered them to get cleaned up and change clothes. Kate followed them into the house.


    Sarah¡¯s husband was handsome and rich. Kate was now working part-time in hispany as an ountant. Today she sent the financial reports over and also to catch up with Sarah. After talking for some time, Kate looked at her watch and was going to leave. Sarah said, ¡°You are so capable now, having a job and also taking care of the family. We switched roles now. I used to bepeting with men and fighting to climb up thedder, but now I enjoy being a housewife.¡±


    Kate smiled, ¡°It is good as long as you feel happy.¡±


    Sarah said, ¡°Yes, happy. What I sought so hard turned out to be such simple things.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s name was Jessie before.


    ***


    In this country famous for its idyllic scenery, there are bagpipe music and bands and singers Kate liked.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    She now lived in a small coastal town with beautiful and quiet scenery and hospitable and rustic people.


    Kate liked to drive along the coastal highway from and back home, with the window slid down and enjoying the wind from the sea and seeing the deep blue sea.


    Half an hourter, she got to a house behind green shrubbery andwn.


    She slowed down the car. Green ivy crawled from the side of the house to the roof. Along the picket fence, red roses were blooming and stretching their branches outside. A man in a striped shirt and dark blue jeans was cutting the shrub and seemed to concentrate on his work. He looked nice from the back.


    She parked the car and walked quietly into the yard, hugged him from his back on the waist.


    The man stopped the motion of his hand and said with gentleness, ¡°Finished your job?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kate rested her cheek on his back and felt the muscle and temperature of his body. ¡°Do you miss me?¡±


    ¡°You say it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The man turned around and held a rose to her face. Kate took the rose. The flower was fresh and full, and the thorn had been removed carefully. She smelled deeply, and the scent reached her lungs. She smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡°This is the best one in the garden. I picked for a long time.¡± The man looked at her and exined.


    ¡°This is the first time you sent me a flower.¡± Kate¡¯s nose still touched the flower petals and used him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t send it before?¡± He thought he had picked the moon and star for her.


    She pouted and shook her head.


    ¡°Okay, I will send you one every day from now on.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She bent her head in his arms again, and he hugged her tightly.


    Standing in the yard, among the greens and red flowers, in the warm sunshine of early autumn, she felt satisfied and peaceful. She closed her eyes and muttered, ¡°Tristan.¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    ¡°Tristan.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It is good that I called, and somebody replied to me.¡±


    Tristan was wordless and just pressed her tightly to himself.


    ¡°I want to find a person. He doesn¡¯t just want me to cook and clean the house or raise the kids for him. We should have something to talk about, enjoy thepany of each other. We don¡¯t have to be rich, but we can work out whatever problems we have in our life. We can have a few kids, just to make them havepanies. I want to be a good wife, good mother, and I want my family to be the warmest ce for us in the world¡­¡±


    ¡°This was my dream-myposition in primary school.¡±


    Tristan was moved. He had read thatposition and the teacher scored it an A.


    ¡°You helped me realize it.¡± Kate said in his arms in a muffled voice, ¡°Thank you, Tristan.¡±


    He bent down to kiss the top of her head. ¡°I should say thank you instead.¡±


    Thank you for giving me a second life.


    Thank you for letting me be part of your dream.


    The time went back to five years ago.


    In the church, Kate bent down her head and prayed and lost track of time.


    The priest came over and said to her that somebody wanted to see her. She followed him to a room inside. A silver-haired, big, hale, and hearty elderly man was standing by the window with his back to her. He heard her and turned back. His voice was vigorous, ¡°Hi, little girl. Do you still know me?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hitchcock! How are you?¡±


    ¡°I heard that youe here every week. You believe in God?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I think you believe in God too. You built this church.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I just did what I was supposed to do. How is your child?¡±


    Kate nodded and added, ¡°You should be clear about what we are doing, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Kate was robbed of her purse on the street once. She had not yet called the police when somebody chased the robber and kicked him after he caught him up. At first, she thought that guy was the police who was spying on her, but the way he acted was not the style of a policeman. Jimmy said that she had some guys around her, but she was not sure if Jimmy was prying, and thus she said she didn¡¯t notice. Actually, she had guessed who they were.

 Chapter 161: I Am His Wife

    There was another time when Cathy had a fever, and she was sending her to the hospital. She couldn¡¯t get a cab. Laura called somebody, and then five minutester, a cab came downstairs¡­


    ¡°It is you who are always helping us, right?¡±


    Mr. Hitchcock didn¡¯t deny, ¡°I promised Tristan to take care of you and your child, so whenever you need help, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me.¡±


    Kate looked down at the floor and said, ¡°I do need a favor from you.¡±


    ¡°A big favor.¡±


    Mr. Hitchcock waited patiently. A few secondster, she spoke with a very low but determined voice, ¡°I want to save him out.¡±


    On sleepless nights of the past few months, she would go through Tristan¡¯s collection of VCD¡¯s and saw the movies. There was one she saw several times-The Shawshank Redemption.


    It was not just the body that was freed, the soul was freed too.


    The hero served a long time in prison. The dreary and desperate environment gave him quiet power and encouragement. She remembered the script, ¡°Some birds are not meant to be caged¡­Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild¡­¡±


    She recalled the time when she visited Sam in prison. It was half a year after Tristan got shot. All the persons who have been arrested were convicted. Sam was the one who got the longest term, life-time, but this was the best the highly paidwyer could do.


    When Kate saw him in prison, he was shaved, wearing an orange uniform, gloomy. He asked about his Boss and made noment after Kate told him. Talking about Ed, he said it was good for him.


    Kate didn¡¯t understand. Living was better than dead; like him, if he behaved well in prison, one day he could be released on parole.


    Sam shook his head, ¡°No. They are different, especially for Boss. Freedom and dignity are more important than life.¡±


    When the movie was over, Kate stayed up in the dark till the day broke.


    The second day, she tried to avoid the surveince of the police and called the number Jessie gave her. After some trouble, she finally got through to Chapman, who was abroad. He told Kate Tristan had an offshore ount. When she heard the amount in that ount, she was shocked. The only thing she thought of was money talks. With this huge sum, she should be able to save him.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The next step was how to do it.


    Kate knew she didn¡¯t have the power. Chapman was abroad, and there wasn¡¯t much he could do. And the n wasn¡¯t easy to carry out.


    And then she thought of one thing.


    Two years ago, Tristan brought her to a birthday party, and they had¡­


    Afterward, she asked him what if there was a camera that captured what they did. You don¡¯t care about your face, but I care¡­He smiled and said, since he could do it, he was sure that the person could be counted on. And she thought about the way Tristan and Mr. Hitchcock acted and spoke to each other. It seemed different from the others. No affected politeness or ttery. They were sincere to each other.


    She then told Chapman about her thoughts. Chapman gave it a thought and then said this could be tried.


    Kate didn¡¯t want to try. She meant to seed.


    After she had that idea, she became obsessed with it. She thought about it every day. What supported her was an abstract hope which had physiological help rather than real meaning, how the n was real. Looking at her daughter, who was growing every day, she said inside, ¡°Mama is going to get papa with you. We three have to be together.¡±


    Her resolution wasn¡¯t something others could understand immediately.


    Like at this moment when Mr. Hitchcock heard from her, he raised his eyebrows and paused a few seconds. He said, ¡°I have kept an eye on Tristan¡¯s situation. To be honest, I am not optimistic about the n. In his present physical conditions, taking him out is dangerous. He might die on the way. And even if he seeds in getting out, the days ahead will be a huge challenge too. If he¡¯s physical conditions remain the same¡­¡±


    Mr. Hitchcock¡¯s eyes fell on Kate, ¡°Girl, you are no more than 20 years old and with a child. You think you can take care of him all the time?¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t reply immediately. She thought about it and then said, ¡°He could have a chance to leave, but he stayed for me, for our child. He knew what it meant to stay. He risked his life for me¡­¡±


    Tears rimmed her eyes. She met the old man¡¯s sharp eyes directly, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I take care of him all my life?¡±


    ¡°He said we three had to stick together. He did what he said.¡± She tried to suppress her sobbing, ¡°I promised him to give him a home. I have to do that. He is in aa now. And maybe he will always be in aa, but I know he has feelings. Being at home is definitely different from being in the hospital.¡±


    It is being watched by armed guards and confined in a space only a few square meters, what freedom is it?


    All the basic activity is done by an unfamiliar nurse, what dignity does he has?


    ¡°I want to do all these things for him. I am his wife.¡± Tears blocked her eyes, and in the mist, a piece of the gray handkerchief was given to her.


    She epted it, wiped her tears, and held it tightly in her palm. Her emotion had nowhere to vent. Only the hands wrung the handkerchief with so much force that her body trembled slightly.


    Mr. Hitchcock looked at her, and his eyes reddened too. He sighed and padded her shoulder and said chokingly, ¡°He picked the right person.¡±


    The consensus Mr. Hitchcock and Kate had was the n was meant to seed if it was to be done.


    The sess had to include eliminating all the trouble after getting out. Otherwise, on the run or being wanted or hiding with fright was not counted as being freed. It was another kind of imprisonment.


    However, they had numerous obstacles to the n.


    After two major crackdowns on the criminals, LA was now in a much-refreshed look. The one who reced Mayor Donald Harderson was a doer. He wanted to use Tristan¡¯s case to ring the rm bell to all civil servants and the businessmen who tried to set foot in some gray area. Mr. Hitchcock hence became one of the watched parties and had to keep a low profile.


    So this n had to be carried out slowly and prudently.


    Luckily the society was still pursuing efficiency. ns, powers, and focus were always shifting. As time went by, some of the things faded out of public attention.


    Kate got the news from Jessie that she got married abroad. Donald Harderson died one year after he left the States. And Jessie¡¯s husband met her and stayed by her side when she was having the hardest time of her life.


    Jessie told Kate that her husband knew a Chinese doctor who practiced acupuncture and Chinese medicine. He had once woken up a vegetable by acupuncture and herbs. Of course, herb medicine sounded dangerous, but they might try acupuncture. Who knew a miracle would not happen?


    After Kate heard from her about this, she became impatient.


    Tristan had been in aa for four years. There were a few times he had abnormal EEG, but after that short period of activity, he remained sleeping. It made her start to lose her faith. The more she cared, the more she was scared and the more she expected.


    And the time for the n also became mature.


    A few days before the n was carried out, Kate went to the church. She looked at Jesus¡¯ portrait on the wall. God looked at her with pity and mercy. He seemed to see through her mind.


    Yes, what she was going to do or even was doing was repeating what he did-


    Using others¡¯ weaknesses or taking advantage of the loophole of the system to satisfy one¡¯s own desire.


    God will judge you for what you did. He did something wrong, and he was bound to be punished.


    As she told Jimmy, if God wanted to take him away, she could not stop it.


    She didn¡¯t say if God gave her a shred of chance, she could grab it.


    She believed God took mercy on him.


    So this was what others saw or heard:


    The doctor issued a critically ill notice. Two weekster, acute renal failure made the doctor issue critically ill notice again. And the patient¡¯s family signed the DNR (Do-not-resuscitate).


    And thus Tristan was gone from this world.


    The other actions followed the regted procedures and also as nned.


    A monthter, a human vegetable was smuggled out of the country.


    And with Chapman¡¯s or money¡¯s operation, the human vegetable had a legal identity.


    And now the person who stood in front of Kate, hugging her tightly, to be more exact, was not called Tristan anymore. But he was her husband, the father of her child, the source of happiness and sorrow of hers, and also the faith of hers.

 Chapter 162: His Fire Ignited Her

    After they settled down in this country, Kate went to pick the Chinese doctor to her house every day to give Tristan acupuncture. The doctor was over 80 years old and looked more like a person from the fairy tale than from this world. Perhaps God sent him to save Tristan¡¯s life. He was not a talkative person. He did pretty much the same thing every day-opened the kit, took out a cloth pack, spread it, and showed a few dozen long needles¡­


    And thissted for half a year.


    The miracle came one day with the first light of dawn.


    It was four yearster. Lying with the man in the bed, Kate¡¯s heart was different from before. He was motionless, but she could feel his temperature. She held his hand and slept with him like a normal couple.


    One morning, she opened her eyes and met his eyes. It seemed there was something flowing in the eyes.


    She closed her eyes again and thought she would continue the sweet dream.


    However, she opened her eyes a momentter and saw his eyes again, and then tears surged to her eyes.


    He opened his mouth, but his vocal cord seemed not able to work after being forgotten for too long. He managed to utter a very faint sound, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Kate shook her head and nged to his waist. Her tears soaked his shirt. His limbs were numb, but his fingers rubbed against hers tofort her.


    The rubbing sent an electric current to her heart.


    Cathy learned that her dad had woken up after she got up. She said, ¡°Dad slept for too long.¡±


    ***


    The three hugged together, and they all had wet eyes. Cathy cried so hard. She had rarely cried after she came to this country.


    Tristan sat on the bed and held his daughter in his arms. He wiped the tears off her face and padded her back. He examined her little and exquisite features, and he was overwhelmed for the first meeting with his child.


    Cathy didn¡¯t want to go to school that day. Except for going to the bathroom or eating, she stuck with her dad all day. She took out the photo album and introduced it to her dad, who missed a few years of her existence.


    When the evening came, Tristan yawned, and Kate urged her daughter, ¡°Dad just woke up today. He is tired. You let him go to sleep.¡±


    Cathy said, ¡°Can I sleep with you tonight?¡±


    After Tristan closed his eyes, she asked her mother nervously, ¡°Will dad wake up tomorrow?¡±


    Kate¡¯s heart ached slightly. She held her small hands and said, ¡°Yes. Dad will be just like us. He will sleep at night and wake up in the morning. After dad gets better, he will y ball with you, drive you to school and go out with us.¡±


    Tristany in bed for four years. In the hospital, the nurse gave him a massage. After she came to this country, Kate gave him a massage by herself. He didn¡¯t have an amyotrophic symptom, but his physical condition weakened anyway. However, the word weak didn¡¯t exist in his vocabry. He started the rehabilitation training strictly under the guidance of the doctor after he woke up. It was a miracle in others¡¯ eyes that he could stand up here, but only Kate knew how much effort he had made.


    She thus drew a conclusion that there was a miracle in the world, but first, there should be a person who could create a miracle.


    The years passed were too long, too hard, and too impressive that they always came back to her dream. And the moment they got together was also too strong an impact that it also reurred in her dream. Sometimes she would be in a trance. At this moment, she couldn¡¯t help eximing again, ¡°It is like a dream, a dream that I had for four years¡­¡±


    Tristan took her hand to his mouth and bit her on the little finger.


    ¡°Ah-¡± she cried out and stared at him with puzzlement.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then is it a dream?¡±


    Kate shook her head disapprovingly, ¡°No. I have to bite you back.¡± And she grabbed his hand and found he was still wearing the gardening gloves. She frowned.


    Tristan took off the gloves and said, ¡°I will go wash my hands and let you bite to your content.¡±


    In the bathroom, Kate watched him wash his hand with soap and passed him the towel after he finished. She had got used to taking care of Cathy and him all these years.


    Tristan dried his hands carefully. When Kate turned to leave, her wrist was grabbed by him. He turned into another person, pushed her to the wall kind of rudely, and pressed his lips on hers.


    She was startled for a second but nged to his neck immediately.


    He sought, and she gave. His fire ignited her. She tiptoed to get what she wanted in his mouth. The two persons breathed more and more heavily, and the sound was magnified in the confined space.


    Tristan¡¯s hands were resting on Kate¡¯s waist and kneading her soft muscle there.


    First, his hands were outside the fabric of her T-shirt, and then he reached under the clothes and felt her smooth skin directly.


    After some time, he suddenly ripped her coat impatiently, and she struggled off the sleeves cooperatively. The coat was taken off. He bent down to kiss her neck and reached to the back of her ear, licked her earlobe. The familiar motion was more vehement than any time in her memory. Kate closed her eyes and tilted her head to expose more of her skin to him.


    His kiss came down along her neck to her chest. He lifted her T-shirt and kissed her from below. His teeth bit her milky skin¡­


    Kate¡¯s body was lifted. Her feet were in the air. Her back was pressed against the smooth tiles on the wall.


    Though his hands supported her waist and the force was strong enough to hold her up, she felt helpless being lifted in the air. She wanted to scream. And her ribs hurt. She started to groan and reached her hand to press his head so as to stop him, but it turned out to be touching him.


    He pushed her bras up suddenly, and the two full and perfectly round breasts showed. Soon one was in his mouth.


    Kate moaned.


    It was itchy. And she felt that the thing being sucked was her heart. The things that filled in her heart were all about him and should belong to him.


    When he moved to suck the other side, he muttered, ¡°Today is the right time.¡±


    Kate blurted out, ¡°Can you?¡±


    He paused and released her, and shended on her feet. She met his annoying eyes and reacted, ¡°I mean, you are not fully recovered¡­¡±


    ¡°It is okay. One ce has been recovered.¡±


    ¡°Which ce?¡± Kate asked when she was carried back to the bedroom and thrown onto the mattress with excellent sticity.


    ¡°You tell me.¡± The man stared at her lustfully. He didn¡¯t stop his hand from ripping off her shoes, jeans, T-shirts, and bras and threw them all over the floor.


    She was suddenly without a piece of cloth, and she closed her legs instinctively. However, he split them rudely. With a nce, it was already wet and ready to ept the invader.


    He took a deep breath and led his painfully swollen organ to it. He just got into her halfway, and she cried with pain.


    He frowned. After a pause, without waiting for her to smooth her breathing, he advanced, and thoroughly sank into it.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    The pain made Kate shiver, but the impact on her mind was even stronger. It was familiar but also different from her memory. After he retreated and advanced a few times, she was wet and smooth there.


    The man detected the change and looked into her eyes.


    She flushed and covered her eyes with her hand.


    He pulled her hand away immediately and ordered, ¡°Look at me.¡±


    He took the time to experience the feeling of being sucked and then slowly and rhythmically move. The gentleness was captured by her, and her heart melted like an ice cream under the sun. She nged to his waist and tried to have thergest contact with him on skin. She felt his moving up and down and the sweat on his back, the power of his body, and his self-control and liveliness.


    He went on with his motion while bending down to kiss her.


    He was dying to have the most extensive contact and the most profound connection with her.


    She lifted her legs and nged to his waist¡­


    His motion became faster and stronger, and her moaning was broken into pieces by his violent bumping and fell onto every corner of the room.


    The climax came suddenly.


    After that, they bothy on their back in the bed.


    Tristan was all sweaty, and he was panting.

 Chapter 163: You Are Torturing Me

    Kate learned his chest and heard his wild jumping of heart. Her fingers rubbed his belly.


    After some time, she felt that some part of him resumed the state for a new battle. She said with a little worry, ¡°Will you be too tired?¡±


    He said with a husky voice, ¡°You will be on top.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how.¡± She said shyly.


    ¡°Everything has a first time.¡± He padded her butts for encouragement, ¡°Don¡¯t you want it?¡±


    I want to. She said in her heart. Her face was burning. After fighting inside for a few seconds, she decided to give it a try. She took the shirt he took off and covered it on his face, ¡°No leering.¡±


    And then she sat on his waist and sank down, engulfing him inch by inch.


    When it just came to half, he held her slim waist and pressed down.


    ¡°Ah-¡± Kate cried out.


    A few minutester, he urged her impatiently, ¡°Move.¡±


    Kate stiffened her body and grimaced. Now she understood what a dilemma was. And looking at the person below her, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he was waiting for a show incency.


    She was annoyed and pulled the shirt on his face to cover him tightly.


    She tried to move away a little and then came back again. The sensation was strange and novel. And it was weird to her heart. It gave her a feeling of dominating the world¡­She repeated it several times with carefulness, and her waist started to feel sore. Then she was turned over suddenly, and the roles switched immediately.


    ¡°You are torturing me.¡± Heined and bumped her several time eagerly. And then he slowed down and stared into her eyes. Kate felt the bumping had transmitted to her soul.


    On the bedside stand, there was a scarlet rose in a clean milk bottle.


    Kate lifted up her head with her elbow and scrutinized the petals. It was indeed perfect. She pictured him examining the roses one by one in the garden, and her heart turned into a lump of sugar.


    A source of warmth leaned closed to her. He lifted up her hair and kissed her on the shoulder.


    His big hand touched her waist and moved to the front and covered her in that ce¡­


    ¡°Still like dreaming?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So you dreamed of this?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°My guess is right?¡±


    Her ears turned red, and he turned on again. He moved his body to her, and before he started the motion, his stomach gave a grunt. Heughed and said, ¡°Too consuming.¡±


    ¡°I will go cooking.¡±


    Kate was about to get up, but she was pressed down by him. ¡°I will do it. What do you want to eat?¡±


    She thought of one thing, but she soon gave it up, ¡°Anything.¡±


    ¡°No. Cooking for my wife cannot be anything.¡±


    She looked at him and said, ¡°Blueberry pies. Can you do that?¡±


    He didn¡¯t reply but just put on the pants and walked out of the bedroom.


    She stayed in bed and looked at the half-transparent white curtains of the window. The sun shone through and fell on the bed with a messy wrinkled sheet. Recalling what just happened, Kate¡¯s cheeks burned again.


    She sat up and felt lonely. Her body was sticky and she wanted to take a shower, but she didn¡¯t want to leave the bed. After a while, she put on a shirt and got out of bed.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    In the kitchen, the half-naked man was busy. He had already made the crust of the pie and rested it on the pan. Now he was cutting apples.


    ¡°Apples in a blueberry pie?¡±


    ¡°Right. My secret recipe.¡±


    He put the apple slices on the crust. He poured the cleaned and dried blueberry on top of the apple slices. He took out a big ss bowl, put in the flour, sugar, and salt, and mixed. He broke two eggs into the bowl and added a big spoon of sour cream, and then whisked skillfully.


    Kate looked at his muscr arms, whisking the mixture. With the moving of his arm, his strong and wide shoulder moved a little.


    Kate suddenly felt her mouth dry and swallowed. And she was soon startled by her own reaction.


    The man didn¡¯t turn back and said, ¡°Staring at a hot guy?¡±


    She felt embarrassed, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you put on your shirt?¡±


    He turned his head to her and said mischievously, ¡°You wore my shirt.¡±


    It was his shirt she put on. The hem of the shirt had almost reached her knees. Her hair was put down, and her face looked smaller. There were faint teeth marks on her neck.


    At the age of 28 and being a mother of a five-year-old girl, she still had the purity of a girl he first met her. The purity now was mixed with new charm after the change, and she had an innocent temptation.


    Tristan drew back his attention to the whisker and did it more quickly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel cold?¡±


    ¡°A little. Why don¡¯t you hug me?¡±


    She came over and leaned against his back like a leaf on a rock. Her body moved with him as he moved. She felt fun and put her hands into the pockets of his pants.


    Her little hands and his legs were just separated by ayer of fabric. Heined in his heart that this was torture. But looking at her innocent expression, he had to suppress his desire and focus on the work he was doing.


    Kate put her face on his back and sniffed. The scent of you was the best perfume for me. She said inside.


    ¡°Where did you learn this?¡±


    ¡°My mom did this before. I saw her do it several times and learned it.¡±


    ¡°Fast learner.¡± She gave him a littlepliment.


    The pan was put into the preheated oven.


    When the pan was taken out again, the pie smelled great. He cut a piece and ced it on her te. The delicious blueberry juice flew out. She tasted it with great satisfaction. Then she thought she had probably fooled again. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the first time he made blueberry pie.


    After eating and taking a shower, they got back to the bed for a nap again.


    Kate fell asleep first, and her breath was smooth and peaceful.


    Tristan heard her rhythmic breathing and sighed.


    It was like a dream to him too.


    He sometimes woke up in the middle of the night and felt his brain went nk.


    Only her sound of breathing could bring peace to him. He would get out of bed to check on his daughter, who was asleep, and heard if she said something in her dreams. Sometimes he went to the yard and walked in the moonlight or lifted the dumbbell. By doing so, he confirmed that he was alive.


    The hatred that haunted him for twenty years and the desire for revenge had all gone. Now they looked like something happened in the past life if there was a past life.


    The town was simple and peaceful. Sirens of ships came from far away. A cat outside the window cried in the middle of the night and made the world sound quieter.


    Peace. This was what he finally found in this alien country. Wherever his family was, it was his home.


    Two hourster.


    In the yard, the swing was rocking back and forth. The little girl in a pink dress and colorful stockings and shoes was sitting on it. She was reading aic book and listening to music with the earphones.


    On an old couch in the corner of the yard, a white snowcat was lying there enjoying the sun.


    Seeding in losing weight, she was a grandma now.


    On the roof, a pair of white cats who were walking casually was her daughter and son.


    And under the wisteria, three kitties were chasing each other.


    Lucy¡¯s daughter and son were born in the States. Their names were Lulu and Charles.


    After they moved here, Lulu fell in love with a ck cat of their neighbor and gave birth to three kittens with ck and white fur-like cows. Cathy picked the prettiest one and named it Kate.


    The one who cried most loudly was named Charley. And thest one was the ugliest one with standing up fur and could never bebed smooth. Kate held it in her arms and examined it for a long time. Finally, she said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s call it Eddy.¡±


    She looked at Tristan and saw pain shed across his eyes, and he nodded to agree.


    He reached his hand to the little ugly thing. It stuck out its tongue to lick his fingers immediately.


    From then on, the ugliest cat became Tristan¡¯s favorite.


    Cathy could not understand it.


    A great sound came from the corner of the yard, and Cathy looked to the source of the sound and found a pot nt that fell from the shelf and crashed to the ground in pieces. The culprit, without need to look, was Eddy.


    Daddy not only would not me it but also would reward it like a sausage.


    The noise woke up Kate, who was sleeping, and she was taken aback when she saw the time. She missed the time to pick her daughter up after school.


    She put on her clothes hurriedly and ran out of the door. As she was backing the car, she saw from the rearview mirror that her daughter was sitting on the swing in the yard.


    Cathy took off the earphones unhurriedly and said, ¡°Ms. Mary had an emergency at home, and we didn¡¯t have music ss. I took Peter¡¯s mama¡¯s car home. The teacher said it was okay. I came back with them.¡± Peter was the little owner of the ck cat.


    Kate nodded in a daze. She thought she needed to talk with her teacher. And then she thought of what she did with Tristan in the bed and worried if her daughter had seen it. As she was thinking, Cathy jumped down from the swing and said, ¡°Mom, I am hungry.¡±


    Kate turned to the door and said, ¡°I will cook something yummy for you, Honey.¡±


    The little girl followed her behind and asked suddenly, ¡°Mom, when can I have a brother?¡±


    Kate stopped her steps, ¡°What, brother?¡±


    The girl said seriously, ¡°Dad asked me what I wanted for my birthday. And I said I wanted a brother. He agreed.¡±

 Chapter 164: Finale: A Good News

    One yearter.


    In the morning, Kate was busy making breakfast in the kitchen.


    Outside the window, her daughter was shouting excitedly. In the spacious backyard, Tristan was training Cathy baseball. The little girl inherited her father¡¯s sports gene and loved all kinds of sports. She was brave and tough like a boy.


    Tristan¡¯s health was good now. He read books, helped Kate with the housework, and went to see ball games or y balls on the weekend with friends he madetely. He bought a farm nearby not long ago and joked that he would like to be a farmer. They raised a lot of small animals on the farm, and it became the favorite ce of their daughter Cathy. The farm was a holiday resort for the whole family.


    The happiness of life greatly exceeded Kate¡¯s expectation, though sometimes, she had a little regret.


    Kate opened the cupboard and took out a small candy box. Opened the lid, there was a pine cone inside. She took it to her nose and smelled it. She could smell the scent of the pine trees in her hometown. Last night, she saw Max¡¯s Facebook. There were photos of Daisy¡¯s wedding. Among them, there was a family photo¡­


    The door was opened, and theughter of the father and daughter was heard. Kate put the pine cone back to the box and put the box back to the cupboard.


    After a while, Tristan went to the kitchen. He had just washed his face, and his hair was wet. His eyes sparkled with light. He walked closer to kiss her and then started to pour milk into their cups.


    Kate¡¯s heart turned peaceful.


    She was not a greedy person. Living under his rxed and peaceful eyes, it was enough for her.


    She stared at his back and called his name, and then said, ¡°There are good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?¡±


    He turned back with a cup in his hand, ¡°Good one first.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Kate looked at his eyes and said, ¡°We got Michael.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s hand that was pouring the milk stopped, and a drop spilled. After he got confirmation from her eyes, he walked over to her and held her shoulders. He seemed to say something but his throat was blocked. His hands-on shoulder increased the force.


    Kate didn¡¯t say anything but smiled at him quietly.


    After a while, Tristan said, ¡°I know what the bad news is.¡±


    On the same day, far in the States.


    It was time for a new semester in college.


    In a suburban vige of LA, a mother and a son were gloomy. A month ago, the boy got admitted to the best college in CA, but he didn¡¯t have enough money for the tuition. Yesterday was the deadline for enrolling.


    As he was sitting on the porch mobily, his phone rang. It was from the school, and they asked him why he didn¡¯t show up. And he was told the tuition had been paid.


    He exchanged a look with his mother, who just walked out when someone opened the door of the fence and walked in. The boy rushed to him with excitement, ¡°Uncle Jimmy! It is you who paid the tuition for me, right?¡±


    Jimmy was startled. He took out a bank card from his pocket and said, ¡°I just came back home from a business trip. Ie to give you this.¡±


    The boy has a moment of trance, and Jimmy was also in a daze.


    ¡°Whatever it is, you go to college first.¡±


    After Jimmy left them, he pondered about it as he was driving. After a while, he pulled over and made a call. ¡°Auntie, how are you? Is everything okay with all your families?¡±


    The person replied to him that it was okay. And there was a weird thing. Her son bought a house on the mortgage after getting married. They had made the deposit. And yesterday, when he wanted to make the first payment, he was told the total amount of the house had been paid. The son thought it was his mother who wanted to give him a surprise.


    The mother said, ¡°How can I pay so much money? I was going to ask you. Did you pay for it?¡±


    The ce the car stopped was a quiet ce. Jimmy leaned on the door and rubbed his sore neck, and looked up at the sky. The sky was giddily blue with bright white clouds. The colors were pure and crystal without any dark shade. He could only think of a person.


    She must be doing well since she could spare her mind to do these things.


    And for further details, he didn¡¯t want to guess. All he could give her were his best wishes!


    Author¡¯s Note:


    It was a great journey to share with you the beautiful love story between Tristan and Kate. We witnessed their pain, agony, and several tragedies that mold this couple into a better individual.


    Life is always unpredictable, and every wrongdoing has corresponding ountability. Often, harsh circumstances push one individual to make a drastic move even though the result will cause his/her demise.


    For Tristan, his heart filled with revenge has be his strength to push his limit until he reaches his desire for fame, money, and recognition; however, everything changed when LOVE came along the way and tested his cold-heart.


    I hope the story of Tristan and Kate will once again give us another great lesson. Though this novel has ended, another short story will be posted immediately. I hope you still continue supporting it and would still walkthrough with the new characters on Volume four.


    Lots of Love,


    Anna Shannel Lin


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!